Did you know that Futuristic Thinking is a competency that you can develop? We define the Futuristic Thinking competency as, "Imagining, envisioning, projecting and/or creating what has not yet been actualized." Who do you know who is highly skilled at Futuristic Thinking?

With practice, you can grow and develop this skill just like other "hard skills" you might be good at like cooking, public speaking, employee coaching, or playing golf.

How do I grow as a leader: Futuristic Thinking?

Those with a highly developed skill of Futuristic Thinking exhibit the following:

• Demonstrates an ability to connect the dots and see the big picture.
• Looks beyond the forces driving the current reality that may have long-term effects.
• Utilizes foresight and intuitive perception as well as factual events to draw inferences.
• Recognizes, supports and/or champions cutting-edge ideas.
• Anticipates future trends or events.
• Envisions possibilities others may not.
• Imagines and/or predicts changes in current reality based on deductive and conceptual reasoning.
• Creates an environment where forward thinking is the norm not the exception.
• Envisions ideas that may be seen as unobtainable by others.
• Mentally lives in the future and does not allow current technology to cloud their vision.

Behaviorally, it comes more naturally and requires less focus for some of us to effectively envision ideas about the future. For the rest of us, it is a skill we may need to invest energy into developing in order to be more effective. Our Driving Forces will reward for some skills and not others. If your job or your environment demands something from you that isn't naturally present in your Behaviors or Driving Forces, you can develop it in your Competencies. 

What about you? How developed are you at the competency of Futuristic Thinking? What about the people on your team? Is this something you want your team to be strong in?