Most of us believe that seeing into the future is impossible. Not so. We actually have a good idea of many things the future holds. We just need to access that knowledge.

To do so, take out three sheets of paper. Label them “One year from now,” “Five years from now” and “10 years from now.” On each, answer questions like these:

• “Who will have left our organization by that time, and what will that mean?”
  
  
• “What kind of people will I have hired?”
  
  
• “Which products and services will we have added or discontinued?”
  
  
• “What clients, vendors and other outside entities will still be in the picture?” “What new ones will have entered it?”
  
  
• “What functions will we have discontinued or outsourced?”
  
  
• “Which of my activities or responsibilities will I have discarded, and which added?”
  

Answer as many as you can.

You’ll be surprised at the clear picture that evolves and encouraged by how well you can plan for it.