The Soothsayer
Why Every Business Needs A Futurist
It was like she had been playing ‘nhodo’ with her life, foolishly trying to outsmart an imaginary playmate named Fate.” ― Panashe Chigumadzi, Sweet Medicine
Fate is impossible to predict. Then again, if you believe in fate, you don’t even want to predict. You just want to let things play out in due course. But, if you are a businessman, you don’t want to include the word fate in your lexicon. That is the precise reason why every business needs a futurist. Bear in mind, I did not use the term strategist. This article talks about the essential characteristics of a futurist and makes a case for every business to have one.
Three weeks ago, I had an interesting conversation with a colleague who works at a niche consulting firm. She described the firms growth strategy and how the firm had quadrupled in headcount. Finally, she got down to explaining what her role was. As she was laying out all the things she does on a daily basis, she mentioned that she had a certificate in Futurism. I was completely astounded because I didn’t even know you could get a certificate for being a futurist. I thought it was more a labor of love.
