Creating From the Future
I was in a conversation this morning with a client about the business he is building.
Actually, that sells it short. He is gearing up to scale in a very significant way. Ten times growth wouldn’t even come close to what he sees as possible.
He has a clear vision for where he is taking his business. As I listened to him talk about what he is working on and how he is using that vision to inform his decisions, we explored the idea of creating from the future.
He has a strong picture of what the business will look like in three, five and ten years. Each day, he uses those pictures to guide his actions.
He is not ignoring the past. He draws on decades of experience in his industry. But where he is going, the business has never been before.
He is scaling his team ahead of growth. Hiring people he wouldn’t have hired before. Stepping back from tasks he used to handle himself. Pursuing contracts he once thought were out of reach … and winning them.
He is building the business of the future by becoming the leader that business needs now.
He is not waiting to become that leader once he arrives at the goal.
He is not waiting to build an amazing team until the business is “ready.”
As we spoke, I was reminded of my Dad.
He wouldn’t have used language like “creating from the future,” but he knew exactly how to do it.
In the mid-1980s, he was building his retail business. Early in (I think) 1985, he decided to open three new stores by autumn. He didn’t have locations. He didn’t have leases.
But he rented a warehouse anyway and ordered the stock for all three stores.
By autumn, he had shops open in Newry, Omagh and Coleraine.
He also had a vision for cookshop departments across the company — pots, pans, dinnerware, the lot. He began telling people about it, even though he had no space and no staff for it.
Then he hired a full-time buyer.
At that stage, the buyer had no departments to buy for. No shelves. No store space. No systems. But my Dad told them not to worry about that. He asked them to learn the sector, build relationships, research competitors, and get ready to buy.
Within a year, they were buying for six or eight departments. Not long after, cookshop departments were live across the company.
My Dad didn’t need the full plan. He needed a clear picture and the belief he could make it happen.
He was never afraid to back himself.
That is what creating from the future looks like. And it is the same energy I see in the clients I work with today.
So … what about you?
What are you not creating because you don’t know how?
What future vision are you holding back on because you haven’t yet backed yourself?
What action are you avoiding because you haven’t yet realised just how powerful you are?
If you’re stuck — or tired of being stuck — call me. I may be able to help.
Much love
Peter