Strategic Foresight for Key Projects

Here are notes from the Back End of Innovation conference, 2015, in San Jose. These tips
come from a workshop led by Tamara Carleton, Innovation Leadership Board, LLC.
This session focuses on strategic foresight, which is the ability to build the future we envision.
Strategic foresight is based on choices made today intended to influence future action. The
goal is to lessen ambiguity with a mix of mindset and foresight. The reason is that the early
decisions in any undertaking impact the actions you take.
So, what is the process, what are the steps?

Foresight in Action 1: Build relationships as you build your ideas.

Ms. Carleton introduced the Crowd Clover, an exercise to help identify the social network that
map out the people who help us succeed. It asks who are the catalysts, connectors,
promoters, and enablers.
Identify mas many as possible, and then mark the ones that are either formal or informal
relationships.
You can do this exercise on the individual, project, team, divisional, or organizational level.
The key learning is that you realize your strengths and blind spots in areas where people can
be integral for success.

Foresight in Action 2: Excite current and new champions with a vision.

This tool is a version of an elevator pitch. It is a Vision Statement whose goal is to get the
story down to essentials and convey the key points of value. This vision helps others create a

mental picture of the impact and value of this project. The drafting process works like Mad
Libs. You fill in the blanks:
Our Vision is to ________________________________.
It was impossible until today because _________________________________.
The timing is now right to ______________________________________.
Precedents of this idea include ____________________________,
__________________________.
By working with our partners ________________________________________ we will make this
vision real in _________months.
Today, were beginning this journey by
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________.

Foresight in Action 3: Help others see what is coming next

This tool is a version of the Quad chart. It is called a NewCo Four-Up, which summarizes the
essence of your plan according to the promotion of the concept, the strategy, the competitive
advantages, and the path of change. So, at this end of this exercise you have defined the
What, Where, Why, and How as a working definition.
A quick exercise proved that this process is exceedingly both descriptive and generative.

Foresight in Action 4: Practice Receiving Ideas

This tool is a practice in simply sharing and socializing ideas and getting feedback.
This practice of storytelling keeps you sharp and attuned to your audience and how well your
communication is being received, more important, how well you listen and receive feedback.
Think of these as Buddy Checks. Have everyone on the team practice these Buddy Check
storytelling and turn them into project evangelists and good listeners.

The idea here is not to sell a pitch, but to communicate, and to learn and refine the story arc
by receiving valuable feedback.

Michael Graber is the managing partner of the Southern Growth Studio, an innovation and
strategic growth firm based in Memphis, TN. Visit www.southerngrowthstudio.com to
learn more.