Wonder practice #2: Anticipation

Wonder

Humans are good at imagining the future, and there are practical ways to put that ability to work. The following two-part exercise can make a valuable difference. It starts by identifying an important goal and gathering the group of people who are critical to success. After clarifying the goal, ask those people to imagine two futures: failure and success.

• Practice: Anticipation
• Practice: Anticipation

Wonder about failure

Imagine it is one year from today (or whatever time fits your important goal) and we have failed. What are the three to five mistakes that explain our failure? Have people answer individually, and then gather the answers. What themes do you see?

Wonder about success

Imagine it is one year from today and we have succeeded and exceeded our own expectations. What three to five ingredients explain our success? Have people answer individually, and then gather the answers. What themes do you see?

 

Insights and implications

What useful insights do you find? What are the implications for new action? What actions will we take now?