Focus on the Future

In today’s competitive environment, creating a sustainable organization requires understanding the short- and longer-term factors that affect your business and marketplace. Pursuit of sustainable growth and market leadership requires a strong future orientation and a willingness to make long-term commitments to key stakeholders—your customers, employees, suppliers and partners, stockholders, the public, and your community.

Your organization’s planning should anticipate many factors, such as customers’ expectations, new business and partnering opportunities, employee development and hiring needs, the increasingly global marketplace, technological developments, the evolving e-business environment, changes in customer and market segments, evolving regulatory requirements, community and societal expectations, and strategic moves by competitors. Strategic objectives and resource allocations need to accommodate these influences. A focus on the future includes developing employees and suppliers, doing effective succession planning, creating opportunities for innovation, and anticipating public responsibilities.