Yogi Berra, meet Peter Drucker.
My Daily Drucker yesterday pointed out that in 1989 Peter Drucker suggested predicting the future is best done by looking around at the future trends that are already underway and have not reached your industry or institution. He coined it, “the future that has already happened.” Yogi Berra famously quipped, “The future isn’t what it used to be. When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
When those statement collided in my thoughts this morning, I had to laugh. Glad I am old enough to remember both thinkers and still cognizant enough connect them.
As a person steeped in 3–5-year plans, I find Drucker’s wisdom compelling and so often overlooked. We live in a world of faster, faster and it is very easy to stay obsessed with the future. Everywhere you turn, a pundit on politics, fashion, stocks, and sports screams for our attention on social media or over lunch.
When you do the opposite and look back at what trends are already underway you can often predict the future more clearly. AI comes to mind, family formation, government spending all started years ago and yet we are hung up on them now. Well, maybe not hung up but focused on them for the first time.
Yogi points out the impact on decision making when faced with ever accelerating change. Fear or flight kicks in and decisions often get shoved into ‘wait for more or better information.’ I know some changes in AI have both excited me and caused me to go into a bigger procrastination mode.
So how do you tie the two together? What pops out in the Pro356rick way is, SLOW DOWN, LOOK AROUND, MAKE A DECISION, and KEEP MOVING.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
PART II ENLISTS THE HELP OF CHAPGPT AND DALI.