Day 2 of 21 Days of Futures Fit Learning - Strategic Foresight

31 Mar 2026 · 2 min

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2:05

In this monologue from the "21 Days of Futures Fit Learning" series, the speaker warns that modern society and organizations are trapped in an urgency‑driven, short‑term mindset they call "productivity lust." This obsession with measurable KPIs, quarterly results, and immediate outcomes leads to avoidance of deeper, strategic thinking. While such focus can feel productive, it erodes long‑term strategic plans and diminishes organizational power. The speaker argues that the future is often ignored because it is blurry, making delayed awareness and response the real risk. To counter this, they advocate shifting toward deep work, philosophical insight, and, crucially, strategic foresight—the ability to anticipate emerging trends. They propose a set of reflective questions to uncover hidden future risks and opportunities, urging listeners to develop foresight, insight, and transformation to craft a preferred future rather than defaulting to busyness.

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We are trapped in the immediate. Urgency is the most socially acceptable form of avoidance. We are consumed as a society by productivity lust, the desire to measure KPIs and ROIs and look at data for the next board meeting and sales for the next quarter. But when this productivity lust spills over into our personal lives, into our families, then it stops being helpful. Our short-term focus in life and in business feels productive in the moment, but it erodes our strategic long-term plans and our power. Organizations optimize what they can measure. You can measure the present, you can report on the past, but the future is blurry, so it is ignored. We worry about disruption, but the real risk is delayed awareness. And delayed response to what needs to change. And busyness is a poor substitute for foresight. So we need to shift and start to value deep work, real insight, perhaps a little philosophy. That way we get to craft a preferred future and determine how it is that we can move in that direction rather than end up with the default. Strategic foresight is that ability to anticipate what may emerge. So we need to ask questions. What will emerge if you don't change your focus? What will not emerge if you don't act now? Where are your immediate distractions undermining your future? And what are you avoiding facing in the future in favor of a quick result today? Remember that we don't get to have a preferred future without really developing the skill of strategic foresight so that we can have foresight, insight, and transformation.