You know when you hear a word once, then all of a sudden keep hearing it a few more times in the next few days? And it feels like a sign you maybe want to pay attention to that idea?
I’ve been hearing the word “proactive” quite a bit lately. As we begin to see the light at the end of the covid tunnel, the way our future will unfold continues to feel uncertain. Will we fall back into comfortable patterns of the Before Times? Will we use this time of disruption as a window of opportunity to evolve and innovate? What will the After Times look and feel like?
As clients I partner with are shifting their eyes to the horizon of the future, approaching in a proactive way sounds good. Doesn’t it? But what does that mean? How can we be proactive if we have no idea how things will look?
I don’t have the answer, but I do have a suggestion: Imagine different scenarios.
Working through a Scenario Planning session doesn’t give us 100% certainty — it DOES provide space to:
Think about our deepest fears for the future and get them down on paper to then let go
Imagine different potential futures and brainstorm how we might move forward in each
Create a foundation from which to adapt with agility as the actual future emerges
Sounds good, yes? But how do you actually DO scenario planning?
Working with a professional facilitator to design the process, hold space, and push your group deeper can be a great idea. If you don’t have capacity for that, or want to give scenario planning a try on your own first, here are my tips to get started.
Make four quadrants and label them with elements that are important, something like this: Best/Worst, Lots of XYZ/Very little XYZ
Fill in your initial thoughts on each scenario — don’t stress, but DO give yourself time to return to this with different perspectives.
Potential questions to think about in each quadrant:
What do you have control over? What is outside of your control?
What do you feel like in this scenario?
Who’s “on your team”/what resources already exist?
How likely is this scenario to occur?
How would this scenario impact your organization/life?
Are these impacts acceptable?
What might you/the organization do to build resilience?
Tips:
Allow yourself space to feel and sit in the discomfort of the worst case scenario (lower left in my image above)
Then allow yourself to be relentlessly optimistic for the best case scenario (upper right in my image above)
If you don’t know what would go in the other two quadrants, that’s okay – this is a starting point
Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.
Cheers,
Where in the Virtual World is ConverSketch?
Urban Ecology for Positive Futures: Supporting a new, global, and transdisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners exploring urban ecology in different ways. As they begin their journey, defining HOW to work together, and what they might explore for a positive impact.
University of New Mexico Tech Days: We covered topics from pro cybersecurity tips and suggestions, to creating a positive environment for women in technology, to a reflection from the CIO of the past year and how the organization adapted.
