Podcast (iron-sharpens-iron-feed): Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS

Jared Nichols is the founder and creator of The Foresight Academy, a groundbreaking program that teaches leaders and teams the same skills that innovators, industry disruptors, and change-makers, have used to guide and shape the future they wanted to see.

Jared is also a futurist, advisor, and professor of Strategic Foresight at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business, in Graduate and Executive Education. He teaches leaders, teams, and individuals, how to think like futurists so they can create the best future for themselves and the people they serve. His insight and expertise are utilized across a wide variety of sectors and industries from Fortune 500 companies to government municipalities, entrepreneurial start-ups, as well as his work in Hollywood with accomplished actors, writers, and producers, helping them reinvent themselves and discover new areas for growth both inside and outside the bounds of their industry.

Jared is also the host of a small business podcast presented by the National Small Business Association titled, The Road Ahead: Small Business in the 21st Century, which focuses on practical tips and insights for small business owners on how to grow, thrive, and contribute, in a volatile and uncertain environment. In addition to hosting The Road Ahead, Jared also sits on the Board of Trustees for the National Small Business Association with a focus on equipping SME’s with the ability to anticipate change and influence public policy in favor of small business growth. Jared is also musician, composer, competitive cyclist, and trail runner living in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and their two sons. His most recent accomplishment is becoming an official card-carrying member of the Dollar Beard Club and is making plans to build a workshop and tame a wild animal.

In this conversation, Jared and I discuss how “shaping the narrative of the future” could possibly be the most important insight for leaders to help control the unknowns.

Key Leadership Takeaways:

The 3 foundational “must-do’s”

• • Act with clarity
  • Lead with confidence
  • Inspire others to action

Strategic foresight focuses on:

• • Conscious: This is all about PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN and learning how to deconstruct the dominant narratives and stories that are guiding and influencing your decisions and what you believe is possible about the future.
  • Curious: This is all about UNCOVERING the major DRIVING FORCES that are shaping the future and why their impact is anything but certain.
  • Creative: This is all about learning how to BUILD POWERFUL and compelling FUTURE SCENARIOS that illuminate unseen opportunities and potential obstacles.
  • Collaborative: This is all about collaboration. Without collaborative partners, an engaged community, or network, your vision for the future is dead on arrival. In this module, you will learn how to ENGAGE AND EMPOWER OTHERS through the practice of strategic foresight.

Leader Action Plan:

• It is your future, do not let someone else create it. Own this responsibility as a leader. Talk to your team NOW about the narrative of the future.
• The vision drives innovation. Make sure you paint the picture to your team.

Iron Sharpens Iron Movement – Resources:

• The New Futurist
• Jared Nichols
• Free Course!

It is your future, do not let someone else create it. OWN this responsibility as a leader. Talk to your team NOW about the narrative of the future.

Click To Tweet

Discover More and Connect:

What are your thoughts on this episode? Post your comments below to start the discussion.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and tell a friend so we can continue to build our tribe of people who have a passion for followership, mentorship, and leading!

Join our Facebook group to get even more behind the scenes action and exclusive content for leaders.

Until next time…remember that Iron Sharpens Iron, make yourself and others around you better every day!