In a society characterized by quick decisions, short-term solutions and the pressure to constantly show results, it is easy to lose sight of the question that is perhaps the most important: Where are we really going?
We often stop at the needs of the present or try to predict exactly what the future will look like. We get caught up in problem formulations that are about costs, about what we have already tried, about what is reasonable here and now. But innovation, transformation and system change require something else: a sense of direction. Not like an exact map, but like a compass.
What didn’t work then may work now
“We’ve already tried that.” That’s a common response when someone suggests a new idea. But what failed yesterday may very well succeed tomorrow. Context changes. Technology evolves. People’s values change. Small details, like how to package a solution, when to do it, or with whom, can make all the difference.
Just because something didn’t work before doesn’t mean it won’t work anymore. It just means that it didn’t work then, that way, in that situation. That’s why it’s crucial to dare to think in directions rather than results. To see failure as a step on the way, rather than an end point.
What we’ve never done is often what we need to do
“We’ve never done that.” That’s not an argument. It’s a testament to the need for change. In a world where the climate is changing, technology is accelerating, and social norms are being renegotiated, what we haven’t done before is often exactly what needs to be tested.
Innovation requires the courage to try. To reevaluate. To dare to be wrong. But above all, it requires a new way of seeing: not on what we know, but on what is possible.
We can’t predict the future, but we can choose the direction
It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to predict exactly what will happen. But the future is not a given. It’s a field of possibilities. Just as we cannot predict what the weather will be like in six months, we cannot know exactly how the market, society or technology will develop.
Yet we make decisions every day as if we could.
The better approach is to think in scenarios and likely directions. What happens if commodity prices rise? What if consumers start to value sustainability more than price? What if AI makes our industry look completely different in five years? We don’t know exactly, but we can prepare for the direction. And this is what gives us the power to act, even in uncertainty.
The paradox of security and the power of faith
Humans seek security. It is natural. But security is not about everything being the same as it always has been. Real security is built on trust that together we can solve the challenges of the future. And it is precisely this shared faith that moves humanity forward time and time again. Faith that things can get better. That we can create change. That it will work.
It’s easy to lose hope when some people only think about their own profit, but over time, ideas that improve the lives of more people always win. That’s why social and environmental progress is not only possible, but inevitable. Over time, we always return to ideas that create better conditions for more people.
The role of creativity: Showing the way to the future
Creativity and innovation are our main tools for exploring possible futures. They help us think beyond what exists. When ideas become prototypes, images or stories, people can begin to see them in front of them. And when something becomes visible, it also becomes possible.
A simple sketch, a prototype or a creative scenario can often have more impact than a report. It makes the direction concrete, understandable and possible to believe in. We need more creative thinking that breaks with the norm – and we need leaders and co-creators who don’t dismiss ideas because “it doesn’t work”, but who say: “What would it take to make this work?”
Leading with direction
Understanding where we are going is not knowing what will happen. It is daring to believe in a future worth working for. Choosing a sustainable, inclusive and creative society even when we can’t see all the way there. It is understanding that innovation doesn’t start with solutions, but with will. That change isn’t created with control, but with direction and courage.
When we start thinking and acting based on the future we want to contribute to, rather than the present that limits us, new possibilities open up. And that is perhaps precisely what is the greatest task of leadership and humanity today: to choose a direction, together. And start walking.
