“CHANGE can be disruptive at the best of times, but the kind of massive and unprecedented change we’ve experienced from Covid-19 is especially challenging and will be with us for a long time. There’s no doubt we need a new mindset and skillset to manage, embrace, and thrive in the future.”
These lines attracted me to attend a webinar entitled “Future Mind,” reckoning that associations may also learn a thing or two.
Webinar speaker Gihan Perera, futurist, online presenter, conference speaker and author, drew inspiration from the book of Howard Gardner, 5 Minds for the Future, and presented them as follows (with my short annotations relating to associations):
1. The disciplined mindset makes sure to learn and be up-to-date on the area of discipline they are working on. To be relevant, an association, be it a professional society or trade association, has to remain focused on its specific area of expertise.
2. The connector mindset sees things and connects them with others in new and interesting ways. An association has a built-in connector role of linking ideas, people, and communities which it needs to amplify and communicate constantly.
3. The creative mindset gets ideas from nowhere and generates more new ideas from them. Developing better services to members entails that an association breeds and nurtures creativity.
4. The respectful mindset always thinks of other people. As a people organization, an association’s work calls for addressing issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion, empathy, and wellness.
5. The ethical mindset looks at the big picture and thinks bigger than itself. An association has to participate in conversations like climate change, sustainability, and its impact to future generations.
While each association may have strengths in one or more mindsets, developing a balance of all five minds is essential. Those who succeed in cultivating these mindsets are most likely to thrive in the future.
On skills, Gihan cited the World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report 2020 and presented the following six emerging skills, among others:
1. Analytical thinking and innovation is being able to determine a problem, solve it, and innovate from it.
2. Active learning is learning and re-learning as well as unlearning what used to be true and which is not true anymore.
3. Critical thinking is being logical and scientific in making decisions.
4. Leadership and influence is leading and influencing people around you in teams, in the organization, and in the community.
5. Technology skill is being competent, adaptable and all-embracing on the use of technology.
Emotional intelligence is about intrapersonal skill (understanding one’s self) and interpersonal skill (understanding others).
It may not be possible to future-proof your association, but by being future-ready with these mindsets and skillsets, you will be able to leverage change, thrive in chaos, and act with clarity and confidence in an uncertain future.
Octavio Peralta is founder and CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives and concurrently, President of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations. The views Peralta expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror. E-mail: obp@adfiap.org.