I fully believe that when individuals take personal responsibility, good things happen. If choice is a divinely-inspired concept, then we must exercise that choice in all that we do.

Yes, we should follow some guidelines…

Otherwise there would be anarchy and chaos. But as we’ve recently seen with the election of a new American president, sometimes, breaking the rules will get you everything you want.

That’s why we must take personal responsibility in regards to innovation…

Often, innovation is initiated by the corporation you work for or the clients you serve. Someone goes to a conference, hears case studies about other companies who are innovating, then comes back and declares “We’re putting together an innovation committee.”

The secret to forecasting is a learned skill…

Yes, some people are natural visionaries. Some people, like me, have an innate ability to predict future trends. However, with the right tools, anyone can learn the fine art of futurology.

It’s similar to learning how to write a book in a week or how to play tennis…

And these books can help you develop a futurist mindset and predict, with accuracy, the trends that are coming so you future-proof your business, brand, career, or methodology.

Mind Set!: Eleven Ways to Change the Way You See – And Create – the Future by John Naisbitt

Naisbitt, the author of the runaway bestseller Megatrends, guides the reader through the 11 mindsets that you need to have to predict future trends. I couldn’t put the book down as the book is conversational in tone.

The only criticism is the focus on newspaper as a key source in predicting future trends. The book was published in 2006, which means that he started writing it in 2004, and the newspaper industry had already started to show signs of demise. Get More Info

 

Red Thread Thinking: Weaving Together Connections for Brilliant Ideas and Profitable Innovation by Debra Kaye with Karen Kelly

In this book, Kaye “provides an approach that anyone or any business can use” to think innovatively.

The book uses quite a number of studies to drive home each point and at times, it can get research-heavy. What kept me engaged was uncovering the methodology Kaye uses to sharpen one’s innovation skills, along with the anecdotal stories found in the book. Get More Info

 

 

Think Like a Futurist: Know What Changes, What Doesn’t, And What’s Next by Cecily Sommers

This was one of my favourites. Not only did Sommers explain her methodology on how to think like a futurist, but she included many activities and lessons to guide you through her process.

One of the first things Sommers does is show which four forces drive future trends – resources, technology, demographics, and governance. Once you grasp this, Sommers moves the reader in the Zone of Discovery and the very exercises she has her clients go through so they can uncover innovative ideas. I have fun going through the activities myself. Get More Info

I’ll continue to add books to this list to help you uncover the secret to forecasting so you too can think like a futurist.