What if you could catch a glimpse of your future, no psychic or fortune teller needed? How would that change the actions you’re taking today?

If you read my last newsletter, you know that August’s annual Summit was all about human connection Even Over work. But that’s not to say we didn’t do any work.

Our work goal was to step out of the everyday grind and reconnect to our purpose. A huge part of this involved imagining the future we want to be true for our company and the world.

We brought on the brilliant Tracee Worley from Radical Futures to guide us through this futuring experience over the course of a few hours.

For our first activity, we were given two cards from a gorgeous deck and had to decide which one represented “now” and which one was the future.

I pulled a snake and a pile of gems.

Almost immediately, I saw our present world in the snake. A complex, twisting reality filled with economic challenges, social tensions, and a level of uncertainty that can feel perilous.

In the gems, I saw hope. A world of unique ideas, perspectives and experiences, all interconnected. All unique while belonging together. Coherence without convergence.

I want that future for August. I want that for the world.

As we all unpacked the symbolism in our cards and discussed the potential shifts that could take us from one reality to the other, I was really moved by the aspirations of our team.

We followed this up by reading through artifacts from the future: imagined letters from clients and people in the world who have been impacted by our work.

(Crafted with care by Tracee, not retrieved by time travelers 😉)

By making the future tangible, we had something to react to. This made figuring out what we would need to do to get there less daunting.

As we picked through the artifacts, analyzing what they revealed, we ended up reflecting back on our core purpose: a capable team for every meaningful mission.

Currently, we embody that often in the context of our organizational clients, and we love it. But our company’s roots have always grown from movement-building. Bringing along practitioners, people inside orgs, leaders who really believe that the way we work doesn’t have to suck, and creating the momentum that can make our ethos an everyday reality for all workers.

This activity reminded us of the power of collective action and the role we can play in building a brighter future where work works better.

And no, we weren’t actually seeing our future in these workshops. But we were visualizing the version of ourselves and our company that would exist in the future we’d like to create.

There’s something really special about reaching forward in time and imagining your goals completed.

After these exercises, I find myself filled with energy and excitement for what’s to come. The future may be shrouded in mystery, but it is always ours to shape.

So now, I ask you: What small action can you take today to get yourself closer to your ideal future?

Karina Mangu-Ward

Partner, August Public

P.S. Huge thank you to Tracee for bringing the future to us in such a thoughtful, grounded way. If these activities look like something your org might benefit from, check out her offerings here.

Mark your calendars! The final stop on Karina’s virtual book tour is coming up on Thursday, September 24th at 12 PM EST.

She’ll be joined by Dr. Lindy Greer—a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and author of the upcoming book Toggle: How to Adapt Your Power, Be a Better Teammate, and Win at Work.

Together, they’ll destigmatize power in the workplace by looking at how power presents itself, what ‘power gear’ you’re in, the pros and cons of RACI, and how to make the most of the power you and your team have.

More info to come soon, so keep an eye out for the registration link. You can follow Karina’s LinkedIn for updates!