Developing a mindset focused on the future helps founders succeed
Look to where you want to go, not where you have been.
Building a company is a founder's raison d'etre. Like everything else in life, stuff happens to you and you make stuff happen while making lots of decisions. Some of it is good. Some of it is not good. All of it contributes to where you are now and sometimes we can develop an illusion that we had some control over the good and bad outcomes.
This illusion is acutely evident in first time, early stage founders, as they can come to believe they have total control over what happens and can exhaust themselves thinking about bad decisions and outcomes. Because most of the early decisions are difficult, and for every step forward it is just as likely to be two steps back. This can push founders to live in the day to day of decision making and look back to try and understand where they are.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference. - Serenity Prayer
It’s normal to look for patterns from the past to figure out the future. Reflection is healthy and good. But too much of it can hold you back. You also must plan for the future. Because what you envision is what can come true.
It is this remarkable ability to simulate our possible futures that makes prospection special. Just like gold prospecting may literally make you rich, studies suggest that prospecting about your future can enrich your life in at least four ways.
The four ways that prospecting can help you according to research is:
Help make prudent decisions
Motivation to achieve your goals
Improves your well being
Makes humans more kind and generous
Founders need to focus on the future decisions and not dwell on the past. All of the decisions they have made before today are what got them here. What are the decisions you need to make to get you where you want to go? They are not found in the past.
This is why planning and working on your pitch is so important
A plan can document the past but it must also project the future. The future you project is the one you are likely to achieve and it will help guide the next decisions you have to make. Around Eigenspace we focus a lot on building momentum and illustrating that momentum with a plan.
This is your future prospecting. You know where you want to go and you can communicate how you are going to find your way there, measure, iterate, and keep going.
The pitch is in an accepted way to frame the story you tell others and tell yourself. The more you practice, the more you internalize that story and develop conviction that will help make you more formidable. This is your vision of the future and where you fit in it. It tells the story of where you see the world going in the future and how you are going to make it happen (faster).
The plan says your pitch isn’t just a story. Together they are your vision of the future you want to build. Co-founders, employees, and investors all need your vision and the benefits of a future minded leader can bring to the table.
It is important that founders don’t let past decisions take your focus away from the future and what it could be.