FIF Series EP 5 - The Role of Assumptions in Futures Thinking

Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big Thinkers

We explore how unexamined assumptions can derail business strategies and future planning, while providing practical techniques to identify and challenge these hidden mental shortcuts.
• Assumptions are the invisible rules and mental shortcuts we use to navigate the world without analyzing everything from scratch
• Business assumptions (like customer behaviors and competitor actions) can become dangerous when we don't recognize we're making them
• Major companies like Blockbuster, Kodak, and Nokia failed because of assumptions they didn't realize they were making
• Identify your assumptions by asking "What am I taking for granted?" about your industry, customers, and business model
• Challenge assumptions by asking "What if the opposite were true?" or "What if this assumption stopped being valid tomorrow?"
• Practice assumption-busting by taking something you believe will be true in five years, then imagine it isn't
• The future belongs to those who explore possibilities rather than those who make rigid assumptions
Next time we'll be diving into how to spot signals of change before they disrupt you.
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🎧 Listen Now On:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-forward-conversations-with-futurists-innovators-and-big-thinkers/id1736144515

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IOn8PZCMMC04uixlATqoO

Web: https://thinkforward.buzzsprout.com/

Thank you for joining me on this ongoing journey into the future. Until next time, stay curious, and always think forward.

Bab

1. FIF Series EP 5 - The Role of Assumptions in Futures Thinking (00:00:00)

2. Episode Introduction (00:00:30)

3. What Are Assumptions (00:00:57)

4. Famous Assumptions Gone Wrong (00:01:50)

5. Identifying Your Assumptions (00:02:24)

6. Assumption Busting Exercise (00:03:56)

7. Key Takeaways & Closing (00:04:34)