Anticipate

Introduction

Everything is the same until it is not.

—ELLEN LANGER

UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY

“What’s the one word you find in every definition of leadership?” I’ve asked that question many times to various audiences of senior executives around the world at the start of leadership sessions I run with them. I know what’s coming. The word vision is almost always fired back at me. Apparently it’s a no-brainer that leaders should, first and foremost, be skilled in the art of looking ahead and have a vision.

But then something interesting happens. I point out that they are all leaders and ask them if they have a vision. Surprisingly (or maybe not), only a few, if any, of the executives raise their hands.

This remarkable response got me thinking. If ...