Daily Inspiration: “You are probably suffering from a high degree of shared, mutual confusion about your future!”

“You are probably suffering from a high degree of shared, mutual confusion about your future!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

And indeed, many strategy failures come about as the result of this collaborative, self-reinforcing mutual confusion that comes about as an organization seeks to find that elusive goal: “consensus”.

Consensus! What a dangerous and dirty word, since it is often at the root of the downfall of many a great strategy opportunity!

Here’s your current reality within your organization.

There are those around you who think that the trends in front of you are not terribly significant. There is no cause for concern. Action can and must be avoided.

Others around you – including you – see these trends in more dramatic, stark terms. You understand that critical steps are needed now, and that complacency is a death sentence!

And yet, you keep this debate about these trends going on a continuous basis. Confusion settles in – are the trends real, or not? Will they happen sooner, or later? Will their impact be dramatic, or insignificant?

Overall, the collective view of the future becomes cloudy. Clarity is absent, and confusion about what comes next settles in.

The result? An overall sense of purpose that results in continual inaction.

Isn’t this is the ongoing tension that is found in many organizations?

Resolving this debate faster will do much to determine your future success, because a funny thing about the future is this – it won’t wait for you to develop an agreement. The future has no respect for concurrence. It doesn’t understand the concept of endless argument in pursuit of eventual agreement.

Sadly, I’ve learned that far too many organizations waste too much time in chasing that elusive goal of consensus. They run long, interminable meetings trying to find ‘middle ground.’ They expend significant effort in trying to find a common direction.

Meanwhile, the trend in play picks up steam, accelerates, explodes – and suddenly, all that effort towards consensus-building has been in vain. The future happens. With impact!