In the present, the past is more knowable than the future, but people think far more about the future than the past. Both facts derive from the principle that the future can be changed, whereas the past cannot. Our theory of pragmatic prospection holds that people think about the future to guide actions and bring about desirable outcomes.

Thoughts about the future begin by imagining what one wants to happen, which is thus initially optimistic.
A second stage of such prospective thinking maps out how to bring that about. This stage is marked by consideration of obstacles, requisite steps, and other potential problems, and so it tends toward cautious realism and even pessimism.
Pragmatic prospection presents a form of teleology in which brains can anticipate possible future events and use those cognitions to guide behavior.

Toward that end, it invokes meaning, consistent with evidence that thinking about the future is highly meaningful. Prospection often has a narrative structure, involving a series of events in a temporal sequence linked together by meaning. Emotion is useful for evaluating different simulations of possible future events and plans.
Prospection is socially learned and rests on socially constructed scaffolding for the future (e.g., dates).

It seems that the future might look more and more chaotic and unpredictable; leaders will be challenged by being pushed close to their limits. Prospection is one of the leadership skills of the future.

So how can leaders build resilience and stay productive? It seems that future-minded leaders have 21 % more productivity and most often are reaching their objectives.

Studies are showing that coaching can improve 31%-100% of leaders’ prospects—this is what differentiates future-minded leaders from the rest!

Source: :Kellerman, G.R. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2023). Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection—Now and in an Uncertain Future. Simon & Schuster.

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