By comparison though, a futurist with an upper case ‘F’ is often someone who has chosen to dedicate their life and their career to exploring, discussing, and shaping “What comes next” – whether that’s the next month, the next year, the next decade, or even the next Century. And beyond. Sometimes seen as “creative architects” they are people who help us envision and imagine what could be – the so called Plausible, Possible, Preferred, and even Preposterous futures.

I often think of Futurists, including myself, as the business and societal equivalent of Expedition Leaders – taking teams of intrepid adventurers and explorers into uncharted territory while trying to predict and navigate the terrain ahead of time before it comes into view. And Futurists have a lot in common with expedition leaders in many other ways as well – especially those Expedition Leaders who help some of the world’s greatest adventurers push the limits of human endurance and performance.

Ultimately, a Futurist is someone who you should be able to rely on to guide through uncharted “future territory” and come out successful at the other end.

Look around you and no matter where you live or your circumstances you don’t have to look very far to see how the world around you is changing. Today though, the changes we are seeing are without precedent in Human history, and very different to those our ancestors witnessed. Today’s change is multi-dimensional, taking place simultaneously in the digital, physical, and virtual worlds. It’s more complicated, complex, and confusing. It’s more disruptive and pervasive, at the global and local level. And, most of all, the pace of change has accelerated exponentially.

In a world where increasingly powerful sci-fi like technologies challenge what it is to be human on a daily basis, and where global industries can be disrupted in days, not years, Futurism – the bridge between today and tomorrow – is now more crucial than ever.