The Search for the Forward Thinker?

There is a quest going on in a search for the forward thinker. All around, in politics, in the NFL, in my meeting yesterday, all around it appears people are searching, interviewing, seeking to build relationships with, and working to hire forward thinkers.

What is a forward thinker? A forward thinker is ingenious, out of the box, resourceful, original, inventive, creative or imaginative.

Football paints a great picture as teams compete to be the best. An excellent example of this is the hiring of new head and assistant coaches in the NFL. The current trend is to look for, find, and hire the young forward thinker. Why, because a 30 something head coach in Los Angeles has led his team to new success. Can it be duplicated?

Underneath the flash of the touchdowns, celebrations and points scored, the real value of the forward thinker is not in the flash, but in the underlying philosophy, of fundamentals, controlling the line of scrimmage through proper technique, disciplined assignments and execution. Not being fooled by misdirection, yet being flexible, making adjustments throughout a game, season and off-season.

The best forward thinkers, motivate, teach, lead, and empower people. They have a complete understanding of who they are and they utilize the resources available to them. Additionally, forward thinkers are open to change, a better way of doing old tasks, and embracing new opportunities, methods and outcomes.

In your industry, are you a forward thinker? Is there a better way? More efficient, more cost effective way?

For successful business owners who have created their own success, many times they were once the forward thinker, which contributed to their success, and have since retired there forward thinking. The world is changing, keeping a forward thinking mindset, or working with those who do, keeps opportunities for growth available.

Risk Management is an example. For a non-forward thinker, risk management may be viewed only as an expense. To a forward thinker, risk management should be viewed as an opportunity to better control risk, claims and profits, further protecting a business. To a forward thinker risk management becomes wealth management.

Working with forward thinking professionals does NOT compromise values, fundamentals or philosophy or create risk, and clearly does NOT only look at the past. Working with forward thinking professionals DOES allow you to learn from the past, recognize and embrace new opportunities and ultimately give yourself the greatest measure of success.