Do you know how to dream about ...

...your future?

Do you know how to take a flight to the future?

Say to 2026?

What would you like it to be?

What would you like to do more of?

Less of?

Not do at all?

What new things might you want to try?

Here is an exercise I have used most effectively with CEOS.

It is called the flight to the future.

The flight to the future

“My Dream Company”

 Instructions:

This is an extraordinary flight. Therefore the instructions too are unique. But not difficult.

Flight Gear:

1. Open-Mind

2. Spirit of Adventure

3. “Why not” attitude

4. Imagination

Caution:

1. The Past will be a drag on the flight. Get rid of it.

2. Even the present could be excess baggage. So travel light, and let go of the present too.

3. Don’t fasten your mind belts!! This is critical to the success of The Flight.

Flight Fuel:

The flight is powered by extraordinary fuel. It is called Imagination 2026 and is filled with fantasies and dreams. To pack it with more power and enjoy the exhilaration of The Flight, all you need to do is to lead it with more dreams and fantasies.

Be very careful not to mix it with ingredients such as Reality 2022 or Experience 2020. They prove to be deadly and render the flight useless. They have a sneaky way of corrupting The Flight’s fuel. Use the anti-dote Will Power immediately without hesitation. The more you hesitate the more effect Reality 2022 & Experience 2020 will have. The Flight also faces danger from a potent virus. It is called “Doubt”. Like all viruses “Doubt” appears in various unsuspecting forms. But you can recognize it when “Is it really possible?” kind of thoughts plague the system. Remedy: KILL THE VIRUS RUTHLESSLY. And move on.

Flight Instruments:

Two simple instruments: Pen & Paper (Or if you prefer your mobile/ laptop/iPad or a similar device. If you are old-fashioned like me, use a writing pad and pen.

You will use these to chart the course of The Flight.

To help you with the Navigation you will get “Starters”. Starters are incomplete sentence stems that you will complete as you like. You will keep completing each sentence without worrying about whether the endings make sense, are literally true, or are consistent with one another.

 You have the freedom to express whatever you wish. Move quickly through each sentence, but for each sentence write at least 5 different endings. If you want to write 10 endings go ahead and do so. Use Imagination 2025 fully and keep away Reality 2022, Experience 2020, and the “Doubt” virus. The Flight will benefit from your Raw, Unguarded, Genuine Feelings.

If you get stuck, and your mind threatens to fasten the belt, just invent something. Don’t give up, don’t stop. Here are a few more tips:

@ Conflicting sentence endings are fine. Don’t worry about them.

@ Exaggerations are great. Don’t shy away from them.

@ You might like to keep your sentence completions relatively short & simple. Don’t worry about how these might be analyzed. That comes much later.

A word about “Dream DC” (Dream Company). “Dream DC” represents the company of your dreams. It is everything you always wanted it to be. No holds barred. No limits.

To help you arrive at the destination of this dream company, the following pages act as navigation aids.

Let us say your company name is XYZ.

Here are the sentence starters. Fill the rest of the sentence in any way you wish.

1. One of the things I like about working for “Dream XYZ” is

2. Customers love “Dream XYZ” because

3. One of the reasons why dealers prefer to deal with “Dream XYZ ” is

4. When it comes to state-of-the-art technology, “Dream XYZ”

5. As far as Technology is concerned “Dream XYZ”

6. One of the things “Dream XYZ” will never do is

7. People describe “Dream XYZ” as a company that

8. When you mention the name “Dream XYZ” it evokes

9. The kind of write-ups you see on websites, magazines & newspapers generally talk about “Dream XYZ” as

10. The leadership of “Dream XYZ” is reputed for

11. The image of “Dream XYZ” in the marketplace is

12. When it comes to aggression & competitiveness “Dream XYZ”

13. “Dream XYZ” defines its business as

14. Even in the most difficult times,“Dream XYZ” will

15. The ways in which “Dream XYZ” differs from other companies are

16. The unique contribution of “Dream XYZ” to its community is

17. “Dream XYZ” employs

18. In “Dream XYZ” people treat each other as

19. Whenever media writes about “Dream XYZ”, it

20. One of the key ‘Measures of Performance’ in “Dream XYZ” is

21. The kind of people,who like to work in “Dream XYZ”

22.“Dream XYZ” would always be known as

23.“Dream XYZ” responds to the market and customers

24. When it comes to responsiveness “Dream XYZ”

25. In “Dream XYZ” winning is all about

26. The culture of “Dream XYZ” will always

27. When it comes to playing in the market place “Dream XYZ”

28. In “Dream XYZ” hierarchy & bureaucracy

29. All the group companies will look upon “Dream XYZ” as

30. The group vision for “Dream XYZ” would be

Questions 29 and 30 apply to group companies

PS: I have facilitated Dream XYZ workshops for over 10 companies. And a few CEOs who wanted to dream about their future. These questions worked well as thought starters. All I had to do was listen with interest and without judgment.

PPS: Try this on a long flight (no pun intended). One CEO told me that he worked on it a non-stop international flight. He showed me his notes when he returned. Both of us were delighted. He also mentioned that he was surprised he could "visualize" a future.

A lady CEO used this approach to help her son & daughter visualise their futures. I loved the way sh had adapted the sentence starters to suit young students getting out of college. She mentioned that it worked better for her daughter who had done her masters (6 years of college education after school).

It is all yours to try. Have a great flight to the future of your dreams.