Prepare for the future that is coming

In this disruption everything changes and we have to admit that we do not know what the future is going to be. But we can be ready for what is going to come.

The exercise is simple: write down all the different scenarios that your company could face and then discuss how you are going to achieve success in each of the scenarios.

SOAR versus SWOT

Our proposal is to do a SOAR for each proposal, instead of a SWOT, which at the end of the day takes us to scarcity by focusing more on weaknesses and threats rather than on strengths and opportunities. SOAR is Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results.

SOAR Is a tool that generates conversations that are worth having, that is to say, conversations from which we come out with more energy than we went in and better prepared to attain success.

Aspirations are reflected like an attractive image of the future. Who are we in that future? What really matters about that future? What are we proud about in that scenario?

We inquire into the strengths of the people and the organization, with relation to the aspirations. Your own strengths and those that you have access to. It will be surprising how much we have at our disposal.

We define the opportunities. Those which propel us towards that image of the future and are unique in this scenario and which can be tackled with the strengths described.

We set out the expected results.

What we DO have and what we DO want

This road map of abundance generates a common vision of what we DO have and what we DO want, as well as the energy and sufficient ambition to move forward and carry out the first prototype of success.

I understand by prototype the designing of the functioning of the company as a whole and having success in the environment described by the scenario and logically at the top level.

And let us ask ourselves what new strengths and capabilities propel us to this new scenario?  How can we learn in an accelerated manner? Who has these strengths? How do we integrate them into the project? We are the owners of everything we have access to.

For sure we shall be correct about many of the different scenarios of what is going to happen and others not so; that is what makes it so important to admit that we do not know what the future will be.

This attitude will allow us to see before others the effects of this enormous disruption and take action much earlier.

If you think the future will unfold in a certain manner, you will only see the signs that prove this mental projection. The person who only thinks about a hammer only sees nails.

We cannot see the future

but we can be prepared for what might come.

By Fernando Iglesias, founder and CEO of Madavi, the YES Company