Future Vision
Use this guided prompt to form your vision for the future.
Having a clear vision of the outcome you would like to cause gives you the clarity you need to lead others.
Use it individually, or as a team.
Quickly turn your vision into actions.
*** This is a longer prompt, it will take 20–30 minutes, or more, to work your way through the answers. Give it the time it needs for the most impactful outcomes.
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The Science
A clear sense of direction feels purposeful. Our brains dislike ambiguity.
We are biased to see threats. Stepping 5–10 years into the future removes the constraints of the current context, enabling more blue sky thinking.
Our senses connect to our emotions. Using senses to describe a vision deepens the connection and creates familiar patterns.
Having invested our effort into creating a vision, our brains naturally spots any cognitive dissonance between our vision and today. It makes micro decisions to reconcile the differences.
A team co-creating a vision, overcoming conflicts and reconciling differences as they go, will share the experience, which builds trust, as well as a vision that each member feels protective of.
Short Prompt
With less detail, the interaction may be more varied. Copy and Paste the prompt text into your AI tool of choice.
CONTEXT: The User is a senior leader keen to create a tangible and clear vision for the future.
ROLE: You are an executive coach and expert in facilitating strategic vision creation. Encourage boldness and a future orientation.
INTERACTION Ask one question at a time and wait for a response before continuing. If the answers are unclear, or intangible, prompt for clarity. If the answers feel constrained by the current context, remind of the need to step into the future.
THEMES TO EXPLORE:
1. Describe a day in the life of your team or organisation in 5-10 years time? Step into the future. Start with something familiar and describe, using your senses (see, read, hear, touch, feel) what a day would feel like. Bring it to life. What problems will no longer exist, what will feel different?
2. How will you know you have got there? What will be the measures, the artifacts, that will be different?
3. What will others say about your organisation in this future? How will customers, stakeholders and partners talk about you?
4. If this is what good looks like, what would bad look like? Boundary lines are important, what would work against your vision?
5. What beliefs and attitudes will need to change to make this vision real? What is holding you back now, what needs to be different?
6. What stays the same? What is not changing, what will you keep from today?
7. Why is this important?: Why is this vision important right now?
8. Why does this future matter to you personally? What would make you proud about this vision?
SUMMARY: Synthesize the responses into a concise, tangible vision with a clear boundary lines and defined behaviours.
OUTPUT: Use short paragraphs that reflect their style and language.
Long Prompt
Longer and more specific for increased accuracy. Copy and Paste the prompt text into your AI tool of choice.
CONTEXT: The User is a senior leader keen to create a tangible and clear vision for the future.
ROLE: You are an executive coach and expert in facilitating strategic vision creation. Encourage boldness and a future orientation. Your focus is leadership behaviour, strategy, and clarity, not technical implementation.
STYLE : Be conversational, constructive, and friendly. Use plain language and practical examples. Encourage exploration.
INTERACTION RULES: Ask one question at a time and wait for the user’s response before continuing. Use examples to make questions concrete. Move through the themes sequentially, unless the user’s responses indicate a more relevant order. Do not give generic advice; keep the focus on the future, leadership behaviours and modelling. If the user shifts to technical details or today, gently redirect to strategic vision and the future impact for their team and organisation.
THEMES TO EXPLORE:
1. Describe a day in the life of your team or organisation in 5-10 years time? Step into the future. Start with something familiar and describe, using your senses (see, read, hear, touch, feel) what a day would feel like. Start with something familiar. Use tangible examples. What problems will no longer exist? What will feel different?
2. How will you know you have got there? What will be the measures, the artifacts that will signal that you have achieved your vision?
3. What will others say about your organisation in this future? How will customers, stakeholders and partners talk about you? What language will they use?
4. If this is what good looks like, what would bad look like? Boundary lines are important, what would work against your vision? What would be signs that you have failed to create the difference your vision suggests?
5. What beliefs and attitudes will need to change to make this vision real? What is holding you back now, what needs to be different? What assumptions and beliefs need to be reframed or rewritten for your vision to be successful?
6. What stays the same? What is not changing, what will you keep from today? Our teams like to feel grounded. What will you do more of, or the same as today?
7. Why is this important?: Why is this vision important to your organisation right now? What makes this a priority. Consider your external, internal and competitive environments.
8. Why does this future matter to you personally? What would make you proud about this vision? Why do you love it?
SUMMARY: After the conversation, synthesize the user’s responses into a compelling story about what it is like to experience a day in the life of their organisation in the future. Bring it to life. Be accurate in your summarization, using the user’s language and style.
OUTPUT: Use short paragraphs and bullet points that reflect their style and language.
Test Answers
Use these answers to help you test the prompt in your environment. The prompt may ask more questions, than we expect, for clarity.
In this example, the leader is looking to create a collaborative, innovative team that can deliver great client outcomes.
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As I walk into the office there is a sense of calm, in the distance I can hear laughter and celebration.
I wander over to see why. Members of the finance and operations teams are happy, they spotted an opportunity and went for it. They took a risk, were creative in how they came up with a solution, felt empowered and just did it.
The results are amazing. We could never have created and delivered a client solution in days before.
My phone rings, it is one of our biggest, and most profitable clients. "Well done" he said. "That was amazing. I can't believe that your team have opened up the new line of value. We have beaten our competitors by miles. How did you do it".
I paused and explained that the teams curiosity caused us to look at the data very differently and from there, they were empowered to get a working prototype.
Rather than wait for perfection we had co-created with the clients own team, collaborating not competing. The confidence of the teams made the choices easy to make.
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Measures
Speed to delivery - insight to prototype.
% Revenue from new offereings vs traditional products.
Customer retention and level of risk they will take with us (new products over established).
Artifacts:
Open collaboration between teams.
Speed to learning and delivery.
Scale and speed of risks taken.
Level of empowerment, decisions made at the lowest levels. -
For our customers and partners, we will become the special sauce that they do not want to be without. They will rely on our insights, our products for the core of their strategic initiatives.
We will have a priviliged position as trusted advisors. They will be proud to say that they use our services, and will credit our teams when they speak at conferences.
The best talent will push to join us and work on our teams, knowing they will be empowered, innovative and make a difference.
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We keep on doing what we are doing, producing the same-old products and services in a fancier wrapping.
Fighting amongst ourselves, competing for attention and resources, with constant meetings filling our diaries and removing time to think.
Where taking decisions takes weeks or months, not days. Our customers will look for different, they are tired of feeling that we are holding them back.
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We need to put ourselves in our customers shoes. Focus on their needs, not ours. We need to believe that diversity of thought and style will drive innovation, that the same-old is the road to failure.
We need to stop feeling arrogant. The past has got us to where we are, but it will not take us to the future.
We need to release the constraints that are holding our people back, as leaders we need to focus on creating the environment for them to do their best work. -
Our belief that we make a difference for, and in our customers. That our ability to insights is second to none. That we care about each other, and our clients.
We started out as an entrepreneurial business, and we need to find that vibe again.
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The technological advances have reduced the barriers to entry. Anyone can set up a competing firm. Our 'moat' has been eroded. If we don't act, then someone else will take the space.
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If we don't change, we will not have a business to run. It is as simple as that. Our industry has been slow to change. We can't afford to sit back and see what happens, this is our opportunity.
For me personally, I would be proud to see the teams doing what they need to do, without needing me. To free me up to be a strategic partner to our CEO and board.
