Future Fit Lincoln For 2023 & Beyond
How might Lincoln stay adaptive and resilient in the face of an uncertain future? What adjustments may need to be made to future-proof our Vision for Lincoln as a Place to Grow, a Place to Prosper, a Place to Belong?
Beginning May 2019, the town of Lincoln’s Councilors and Corporate Leadership Team embarked on a journey to become Future Fit and determine the Strategic Priority Areas, Strategic Objectives and Initiatives to help bring the Vision for Lincoln to life. To achieve this, we went through a Strategic Foresight process with the help of Leading Minds Lab, which involved analyzing several trends and determining the most likely impactful drivers of change. We considered multiple potential futures to ensure we took a comprehensive and well-informed approach.
Using this approach, we co-created a set of Strategic Priority areas to future-proof the Town’s vision of a Place to Grow, a Place to Prosper, and a Place to Belong. By considering the potential challenges and opportunities that may arise in the future, we identified areas to focus our effort to help us stay ahead of the curve and continue to meet the evolving needs of our community. This process allowed us to create a more robust and resilient strategy that is better equipped to navigate future uncertainties.
Little did we know that the world was about to get hit with an unforeseeable event: a global pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted industries, economies, and societies in ways that were difficult to predict and has tested the resilience of even the most future-proofed organizations. The pandemic has created a world that is fundamentally different from the one envisioned in our earlier work. It has required many organizations to pivot their strategies and priorities in response to the new realities of the situation. Despite the unexpected challenges of the pandemic, the Strategic Foresight process we went through together still provides a valuable foundation for navigating the current environment. By anticipating and preparing for potential challenges, you built a mindset and approach that is more agile and resilient in the face of unforeseen events. And while the pandemic has certainly presented significant obstacles, it has also created new opportunities for growth, innovation, and collaboration that were difficult to imagine before.
As the world evolves and adapts, the Strategic Priorities, Strategic Objectives, and Initiatives we developed together will remain relevant, albeit with some necessary adjustments. Where our earlier work together focused on developing a Future-Fit Strategic Priority Plan, our next engagement will build on this foundation for continued future readiness. This will involve exploring emerging trends, technologies, and innovations that could impact the future of Lincoln and insights and guidance on how to stay adaptive and resilient in the face of these changes. We will also take a broader approach, considering the Town’s Future in the context of larger societal, economic, geopolitical, and environmental trends. Ultimately, re-engaging in an expedited version of the Strategic Foresight process will help take a more holistic and integrated perspective for a more Future Fit Lincoln. As Future Fit Leaders, it is our shared responsibility to continue gathering intelligence about the future; exploring the dynamics of change and their implications; anticipating what the future might look like; and then developing strategies to invest energy and resources in priority areas that will bring us closer to our Vision.
The plan for the next leg of our journey is below.
Proposed Schedule
The following summarizes what you can expect in the months ahead, including key activities and deadlines. Links will be provided closer to each deadline.
| Engagement | Format | Deadline | Survey | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future Sentiment and Emerging Trends | Digital Survey 1 | Feb 23-27 | Complete survey | |
| Horizon Re-Scanning | Digital Survey 2 | March 1-4 | Complete survey | Trend Cheat Sheet |
| Leading Through Uncertainty | Council Meeting Presentation | March 8 | – | Leading Through Uncertainty Presentation & Pairwise Trend Results |
| Trend Implication Analysis | Workshop 1 | March 8 | – | Trend Implication Canvas & Instructions |
| Uncertainty Impact Mapping | Digital Survey 3 | March 20 -24 | Complete Survey | Review Strategic Priorities Plan 2019-2022 for a Future Fit Lincoln |
| Navigating Complexity | Workshop 2 | March 29 | – | Workshop 2 Outline / Navigating Complexity Presentation & Uncertainty-Impact Map Increasing Trend Results |
| DAKI Results | April 6 | – | DAKI – Strategic Priorities – Elected Council Review |