Day 3 of 21 Days of Futures Fit Learning - Strategic Foresight

26 Jun 2026 · 2 min

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1:51

In this instructional segment, Charlotte Kemp introduces the practice of strategic foresight as a habit rather than a one‑off project. She urges viewers to create a weekly futures ritual by placing future‑focused questions on the agenda of regular meetings, especially Monday mornings. The talk defines "futures" in the plural, outlining four categories—plausible, potential, projected, and preferred—and stresses that not everyone can choose a preferred future, so those who can should do so wisely. Kemp clarifies that foresight is about systematically scanning emerging signals, trends, and uncertainties inside and outside the organization, emphasizing attention over prediction. The segment concludes by previewing the next competency: systems thinking.

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Now you get to develop your weekly futures ritual. You don't need a strategy offsite for your organization. You need better questions in your Monday morning meeting. You need to put the future on the agenda. Strategic foresight is the ability to systematically explore emerging signals, trends, and uncertainties in order to inform present-day decisions. about multiple plausible futures. There are multiple futures. That's why we use the word futures as a plural. The range of futures includes plausible futures, potential, projected, and preferred futures. Not everyone in the world today has the luxury of being able to choose a preferred future, so we who do should do so wisely. And it can sound daunting, but remember, we're not trying to predict that future. We're starting with building a habit of noticing. We want to learn how to scan. It's a futures tool to scan outside of your industry, outside of your country, and see where others are being disrupted so that you can begin to anticipate what may emerge. Foresight is a discipline of attention, not time. So ask yourself, what do I notice inside and outside of the organization that doesn't fit with our current model, thinking or strategy. Being fit for the future starts with developing the competency of strategic foresight, and you do that by putting the future on the agenda. Our next video will be about the competency of systems thinking.