What’s your dream for the future?

If automotive pioneer Henry Ford had posed this question in the late 1800s, most Americans would likely have suggested that faster horses would go a long way toward solving their transportation challenges. That’s understandable. Horses were ubiquitous in the 19th century, and the average American had no reason to expect the future would be any different.

Not surprisingly, the future turned out to be very different. 

An iconic photograph of New York’s Fifth Avenue during the 1900 Easter Parade shows only one automobile on an avenue crowded with horse-drawn carriages. Just 13 years later, only one horse can be spotted in an endless line of automobiles parading down Manhattan’s main street.

This example of swift, dramatic, and unanticipated change should give us pause, especially as we consider our dreams for the future of aging services. How well we anticipate and prepare for the fast-approaching future will determine the success of our organizations and our sector.

Fortunately, we have strategic foresight to help us. This two-pronged tool involves exercising foresight, which allows us to anticipate potential changes and assess their implications. It also helps us be strategic by using that information to envision and determine how we will reach our preferred future.

LeadingAge views strategic foresight as “mission critical” at a time when providers of aging services face myriad challenges, opportunities, and uncertainties that, frankly, keep us up at night.

We wonder about the impact of shifting consumer demographics and preferences, the movement of health and long-term care services into the home, the growth of do-it-yourself medicine and wearable monitoring technologies, the rise of private equity in our field, and the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). We also worry about how our sector will be affected by broader national and global issues beyond our control.

It’s understandable to feel daunted by the scope and pace of the changes we may face in the coming years. But keeping our heads down and hoping for the best is not an option. We have a responsibility to be proactive today so we can navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that may arise tomorrow.

LeadingAge is developing tools to help members do just that. We’re committed to helping you stay attuned to what’s on the horizon, take steps to shape your organization’s preferred future, and prepare for whatever the future holds.

I hope you will visit the LeadingAge Learning Hub, where our strategic foresight tools are taking shape. Check out our recently updated Deep Dive on Foresight-Oriented Strategy Development, which can help you better understand current and future trends, educate your management team and board, and frame organization-wide discussions about the future.

In addition, consider attending the upcoming LeadingAge Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, on April 20–22. Our session on Strategic Foresight: Tools for Seeking Clarity Amidst Chaos will equip you with information and tools—including AI-based approaches—to help your management team and board of directors view emerging issues through a strategic lens and take action to prepare your organization for and influence what’s ahead.

LeadingAge is convinced that strategic foresight is a valuable undertaking. We’re committed to ensuring that your strategic foresight process is easy to navigate and that it delivers tangible rewards for your organization, your team, and the people you serve.