Long-term Orientation and Visioning
Long-term orientation and ability to formulate and sustain commitment to visions relating to the larger context.
Micro-VCoL Exercises
Below are three exercises for developing long-term orientation and visioning. Choose one to focus on for at least a week before trying another.
Exercise 1: The Future Pull
Connect current decisions and actions to a longer-term vision, letting the desired future inform present choices.
Practice when making decisions, setting priorities, or noticing yourself getting lost in short-term pressures.
When facing a decision, pause and bring to mind a longer-term vision. Ask: "Does this choice move us toward or away from that future? What would someone looking back from that desired future recommend?"
Did the future perspective influence your decisions today? What short-term pressures compete with long-term orientation? How vivid is the longer-term vision you connect to?
Exercise 2: The Seven Generation Question
Extend your time horizon by considering how current choices might affect people well beyond the immediate future.
Practice when making decisions with lasting consequences, when discussing strategy, or when tempted to take short-term gains at potential long-term cost.
When considering a significant decision, pause and ask: "How would this choice look from the perspective of future generations? What would they thank us for? What might they wish we had done differently?"
Did thinking about future generations change any of your thinking today? What decisions are most difficult to evaluate from this long-term perspective?
Exercise 3: The Legacy Lens
Consider how current choices might be viewed by those who come after you, building awareness of long-term consequences.
Practice when making decisions that will outlast your current role, when setting precedents, or when creating systems or policies.
When making a decision, ask: "How will this be viewed by those who inherit it? What am I creating that will continue after I am gone from this role?"
Did the legacy perspective change any of your decisions today? What are you creating that will outlast your current role? What would you want your legacy to be?