What is the main message of Future Shaper?

The main message of Future Shaper is how to navigate and excel in an ever-changing world.

Who is the author of Future Shaper?

The author of Future Shaper is Niamh O'Keeffe.

Management & Leadership

Future Shaper Book Summary - Future Shaper Book explained in key points

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Future Shaper summary

Name: Future Shaper
Rating: 4.2 (93 reviews)
Author: Niamh O'Keeffe

Niamh O'Keeffe

How Leaders Can Take Charge in an Uncertain World

4.2 (93 ratings)

23 mins

Brief summary

Future Shaper by Niamh O'Keeffe is a collection of stories that explores the life and work of 14 entrepreneurs, visionaries and change-makers who are reshaping the world with their innovations and ideas.

Topics

Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Teamwork Strategy

Table of Contents

Future Shaper
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Become a future-shaping leader and flourish in an uncertain world.

What does it take to be a great leader? What skills do you need? What approach do you take?

In bygone days, answering such questions was relatively simple. Our world was considerably stabler, and a business could develop a ten-year plan with clear end goals – and then simply stick to that plan. Leaders could concentrate on devising strategies and getting people to execute them without worrying too much about unforeseen obstacles.

Unfortunately, this leadership approach doesn’t quite cut it anymore. We’re living in a world of relentless political, social, and economic uncertainty, which affects businesses of all sizes, from large corporations down to budding start-ups.

Not only that, but global society is experiencing a huge digital and AI revolution. If leaders want their businesses to survive these uncertain times, they’ll have to take charge of their own destiny and become shapers of their own future.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

the fundamentals of future-shaping leadership;
how to forget the finicky details, see the bigger picture, and set clear goals; and
why cultivating resilience is good for business.

We live in an uncertain world, and businesses are under threat.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but the world we live in is increasingly unstable. At times, it can feel overwhelming just watching the morning news, with its headlines about climate change, corruption, terrorism, populism, and other global ills.

Compounding this unsettling instability, rapid advances in technology are changing – well – everything.

Here’s the key message: We live in an uncertain world, and businesses are under threat.

Global society is entering the fourth industrial revolution – an age defined by new scientific and technological breakthroughs. These breakthroughs include artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, and precision medicine, each of which is transforming our world in a number of ways.

For starters, these new technologies are disrupting industries. For example, the emergence of digital banks in the financial industry has forced traditional banks to upgrade their online services in order to compete.

Then, there’s AI – self-driving cars, for example – which is challenging and changing how we live and work.

While the digital revolution promises endless opportunities for businesses, it’s also created a feeling of global instability. Technology is unsettling territory: it poses new risks, raises ethical concerns, and serves as a reminder of the future’s unpredictability.

That’s why being a leader in 2020 is tougher than ever. CEOs and management teams are on what the author calls “constant threat alert,” where they have to anticipate changes, be creative, and constantly pivot to keep their companies afloat.

For instance, many brick-and-mortar shops have made their merchandise available online to accommodate their customers’ digital shopping habits. And those shops that haven’t may soon find themselves out of business.

The problem is, if you’re a leader on constant threat alert, you’ll never have the time to step back and learn the leadership skills that will help you navigate today’s relentless, ever-changing business environment.

For businesses to survive these uncertain times, they’ll need their leaders to take control, empower their teams, and be steadfast in the face of overwhelming challenges.

To be a future-shaping leader, you need to define your long-term vision.

Let’s begin with a story about a great leader in history.

In the early 1960s, American president John F. Kennedy had a vision. In a simple sentence, Kennedy communicated what he wanted to achieve: “To put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.”

The best way to figure out your goals is to ideate without limits.

Imagine you’re an artist sitting in front of an easel. Before you is a blank canvas and, to your right, is a collection of paints and brushes. In this moment, there are no rules: you can paint whatever you like. It’s this freedom – the boundless potential of that blank canvas – that enables artists to be creative.

Like artists, future shapers seeking creative solutions also need freedom. In fact, when figuring out what your vision is for the future, it’s best to let your imagination run wild – and to set aside your concerns for how you will implement it.

To earn support, leaders must communicate a clear vision and provide a roadmap for how to get there.

In the early 1990s and the decades before that, the world of business looked much different than it does today. Back then, it was typical for business leaders to sit at the head of a long boardroom table, giving out instructions and assigning tasks. Leaders were king – or queen – of their corporate domain.

This model has changed entirely. Today, the old “command and control” style of leadership no longer works. There are two reasons for this. First, employees are more empowered, educated, and autonomous than ever before. Second, traditional corporate hierarchies have been flattened. In other words, companies function less like monarchies and more like democracies.

Build a creative and resilient team via diversity and inclusion.

Imagine two teams. One is diverse. It consists of men and women, black people and brown people, younger people and older people. The other team is homogeneous – a group of men, most of them white, all about 40. Some people might find this surprising, but the diverse team consistently outperforms the homogenous team, despite its members having far fewer commonalities. Why?

Here’s the key message: Build a creative and resilient team via diversity and inclusion.

Cultivate connections to establish your platform.

Meet Sanjay. He’s a senior commercial lending manager in a bank, and he’s had a brilliant idea. Sanjay has observed that his bank is comfortable lending money to bigger businesses, but it’s unwilling to fund entrepreneurs. Fully aware that Apple and other major global businesses began as scrappy start-ups in need of capital, Sanjay decides that he wants to incubate an “entrepreneurial bank for entrepreneurs.”

But then Sanjay encounters a problem – a platform problem.

Being a happy and energized leader creates an optimal atmosphere for great work.

As a leader, you’ll always have a team of people depending on you for direction. If you’re lackluster about your goals, it won’t only affect your own level of motivation, but that of your employees, too.

Employees, whether consciously or unconsciously, tend to copy the mood and behaviors of their leader. For example, if you walk into the office with a thunder cloud above your head, it’s likely your employees’ moods will turn gray, too. On the other hand, if you can put your worries aside and be consistently motivated and energized, your team’s productivity will be positively affected as a result.

Be persistent to survive today’s volatile business environment.

Steve Jobs. His name has become synonymous with success, innovation, stylish design – all the things that businesses yearn to achieve. But a major chunk of his career was defined by failure.

In 1976, he started Apple, which got off to a good start. But after an unsuccessful product launch in 1985, he got kicked out of his own company. Then he founded a new company called NeXT.

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What is Future Shaper about?

Future Shaper (2020) describes the challenges leaders face in an increasingly fast-paced and technologically driven world. It’s the ultimate manual for leaders seeking to improve their leadership skills, embrace new ideas and innovations, and prepare for the future.

Future Shaper Review

Future Shaper (2021) is a book that explores how to navigate the changing landscape of work and career in the digital age. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Provides valuable insights into the skills and mindset needed to thrive in the future job market.
Offers practical advice on embracing technological advancements and leveraging them for personal and professional growth.
Shares real-life stories of individuals who have successfully adapted to the changing work environment, making the book relatable and inspiring.

Best quote from Future Shaper

Success doesnt happen because of what you know, it happens because of who you become.

—Niamh O'Keeffe

Who should read Future Shaper?

Business leaders stuck in a traditional way of thinking
Novice entrepreneurs wanting to learn the ins-and-outs of leadership
Future leaders entering the business world on the cusp of the digital revolution

About the Author

Niamh O’Keeffe is a leadership advisor with over 25 years’ experience in strategy consulting, head-hunting, and executive coaching. In 2004, she founded First100, a leadership and performance-acceleration consultancy. She’s also the author of First 100 Days: How to Make Maximum Impact in Your New Leadership Role.

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Management & Leadership Technology & the Future

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