Practical strategies to navigate uncertainty and thrive, for businesses and individuals

Stephen Grootes is joined by future finance specialist Bronywn Williams for The Money Show's business book review.

Every week The Money Show interviews the author or reviewer of a new or trending business book.

This week Stephen Grootes talked to Bronwyn Williams, trend translator and future finance specialist at Flux Trends.

She reviewed Four Future Seasons: How to anticipate and prepare for multiple potential futures.

It's written by Craig Wing who's known as a 'visionary' futurist, global keynote speaker and entrepreneur and is based in South Africa.

Before diving into Four Future Seasons, Williams highlights that futurists don't predict the future, but rather help you explore the various different possibilities of it, as Wing does in the first part of the book.

"A lot of people do try and predict the future to get some greater degree of certainty and control, and effectively that IS what this book is about. While you can't predict exactly what is going to happen you CAN learn some skills to respond and react, and hopefully react from a place of anticipation rather than a place of reactivity to various different external dynamics."

"Essentially this is Wing's model that his PhD was based upon that talks about these four seasons that businesses in particular might find themselves in, and how they should respond given those different seasons they could and eventually will find themselves in, to give themselves the best chance of the best future for themselves."

"He's developed a a matrix and then goes through a lot of case studies to illustrate this point as to how you can apply it to your work, your business and your life."

"Effectively, these four seasons are based on that famous Donald Rumsfeld quote of the known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns; and Wing's turned that into a quadrant giving us four different environments that a business or organisation or even industry might find itself in."

"For example, the summer season is when things are going quite well for you or at least where you understand the dynamics of the industry you're in. This is where you have 'known knowns' - where your industry is solid and you think that you know what's going on."

"Conversely, you've got the current environment we find ourselves in where there are a lot of 'unknown unknowns' - a lot of unanswered questions and you don't even know what all the questions are!"

"Wing gives the framework to think about which of the four environments is the context you're operating in, and then what's the best response given that context."

Bronwyn Williams, Future Finance Specialist - Flux Trends

Description on Penguin Random House SA:

In an increasingly unpredictable world, traditional methods of planning no longer suffice. Four Future Seasons  offers a groundbreaking approach to navigating uncertainty, empowering readers to adapt to the future and actively shape it.
 
Drawing from international experiences, doctoral research and diverse perspectives as a global expert in futures strategy, Dr Craig Wing’s  Four Future Seasons  combines deep insights with practical strategies to anticipate disruptions and thrive in times of change. This innovative model draws from diverse and fascinating concepts such as Rumsfeld’s ‘unknown unknowns’, the Johari Window and the timeless wisdom of the Japanese four-season garden to offer a dynamic framework for identifying early signals of change and respond with agility.
 
More than a guide for business leaders, this book is for anyone who wants to create a better future for themselves, whether navigating personal growth, leadership challenges or unforeseen life changes. With personal stories of resilience and innovation woven throughout, Four Future Seasons  equips readers with the tools, foresight and confidence to thrive through all seasons of life.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to Williams' review