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ReNew Business

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    • Un Sacco di Storie
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Stop Trying to “Lead the Future”

December 4, 2024 Fateme Banishoeib

The future isn’t a project to lead. It’s not waiting for you to dictate its next move. The idea of “leading the future” is a tired fantasy built on control and ego. The truth? We don’t lead the future we may only co-create futures!

The world is a tangled web of people, systems, and forces, all shaping what’s next. We can only rely on collaboration, listening, and shared responsibility to create our possible futures.

It is never one single future. It is always many possible futures. 

The future isn’t a solo act—it’s a collective creation. Instead of seeing the future as a destination shaped by a single leader, force, or vision, what if it is the co-creation of interconnectedness and shared agency?

Inspired by Still I rise by Maya Angelou I wrote this as a reminder to all of us.

We Don’t Lead the Future, Darling—We Co-Create It

So, you think you’re here to lead the future? That you’ll grab it by the reins, bend it to your will, and steer it exactly where you want it to go? Oh, sweetie, how quaint. The future doesn’t play by your rules. It’s not some obedient servant waiting for your commands. It’s messy, wild, and deeply uninterested in your ego trip. You don’t lead the future—you collaborate with it.

Leaders, visionaries, disruptors—you’ve been sold a myth. Told that if you dream big enough, work hard enough, or shout loud enough, the future will bow to you. Well, newsflash: The future doesn’t care about your vision board. It’s not a solo act. It’s a symphony, and every single voice, choice, and chance occurrence plays its part.
Control is a fantasy, honey. The idea that we can predict, plan, and dominate the future is as outdated as a rotary phone. The world is interconnected, alive, unpredictable.
Lead the future? Please. The future is already dancing circles around your carefully laid 5 year plans.

Real power doesn’t come from “leading.” It comes from listening. From collaborating, co-creating. The future isn’t a blank page for you to write on; it’s a conversation, a dance, a collective act of imagination.

Are you paying attention? Or are you too busy shouting about your “vision” to notice the chorus all around you?

Leading the future is a selfish fantasy; co-creating it is an act of shared care.

Want to leave a mark? Start by asking whose voices you’ve ignored. Want to shape what’s next? Step down from the podium and into the circle. This isn’t about you, darling—it’s about us.

The future demands humility, not hubris. It requires you to unlearn the myth of the lone savior, the great leader, the hero at the helm. So no, you don’t lead the future. You’re not its master, its savior, or its CEO.

But if you’re brave enough to step off your pedestal, the future might stop feeling like a prize to be won and start feeling like a world we’re creating together.

So, what’s it going to be? Will you cling to the illusion of leadership, or will you join us in the messy, beautiful act of co-creation? The future isn’t waiting for you, darling—it’s waiting with you. The question is, are you ready to show up?

Consider reading The Poetry of Leadership for a different way of leading.

If you’re interested in learning more about my services and would like to discuss any consultancy, workshops, talks, please reach out.

Consider also subscribing to the newsletter to stay updated and receive weekly inspiration.

Have a look at all the Artful Entrepreneurship resources: programs, courses, practices and talks to reshape your business perspective at www.artfulentrepreneurship.org for a journey into the heart of creativity. A brand new website fully dedicated to the mavericks among us.

In Leadership Tags myth, leadership, future
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