The 3 Things You'll Need No Matter What Comes Next

Co-authored by Laura Martin.

You know what’s really tantalizing? Predicting the future. That’s why psychic readings, tarot cards, palm readings, and horoscopes retain a seat at many a table. We’re dying to know what happens next.

Data analysis is the scientific scratch to that exact same itch. Within data sets (as purportedly within the stars) lay macro and micro patterns of human behavior we can predict and affect.

And while it is certainly helpful, there will always be more context than data. No one, ever, can know what’s going to happen next.

So, in place of predicting the future, our best bet is to prepare for it: to sharpen internal resources within our control that will help us make the best of it, no matter what happens next. Enter mindset, agility, and creativity.

Mindset

The placebo effect is required in medical research because when people believe they begin medication, their health improves, even when the medication is fake.

This reveals something profound about the mind’s ability to affect not only our physiology but our experience of life.

Mindsets are values and beliefs that shape contextual interpretations and responses. They matter because small internal shifts in mindset can have hugely positive internal and external consequences in our lives.

In one famous experiment, people who were told, right before a salary negotiation, “Nervous arousal can help you perform well,” significantly outperformed the group that received no message at all.

When hotel chambermaids were informed that their work meets the standards for daily recommended exercise, their weight and blood pressure dropped while their happiness went up, sustaining over weeks.

The single best predictor of Navy Seal candidates is the extent to which they agree with the statement, “I believe stress is performance-enhancing.”

While it may be difficult to accept, our mindsets are entirely within our control. But we have to be willing to abandon habits that are comfortable yet self-defeating. And while that can seem quite daunting, it is also as simple as reframing crisis as opportunity, something everyone can do.

Agility

Originally Slinky was created to stabilize naval equipment at sea. Oral-B was a waterproof laminate. Frisbees were created to deliver pies from a bakery owned by—wait for it—a guy named Frisbee.

There are a lot of famous examples, and people love these stories. Besides the ingenuity, their underlying message is irresistible: “If you just look at things from a slightly different perspective, your fortunes could change in a New York minute.”

It’s somewhat ironic that we love these stories, however, since we hate having to emulate the behaviors.

It’s hardly a secret that human beings loathe change. Anyone with a passing familiarity with behavioral science could rattle off multiple biases that contribute to change aversion.

And that is precisely what makes agility so difficult. For individuals and organizations to respond and adapt to rapidly changing market conditions, they must be willing to abandon past ideas and decisions, responding instead to what they see happening in front of them.

It requires what Adam Grant calls “intellectual humility,” a willingness and ability to change beliefs when presented with credible new information.

In the 1960s, Moore’s Law predicted that computing power would double every 18 months, and it turned out to be correct.

What that means for us is that change is happening faster than it ever has before. Much like athletes have to adjust tactics mid-game, so too must businesses. How best to accomplish this? Stay true to your values, but tether your beliefs to the latest and best information.

Creativity

What do The Matrix, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and about 100 other classic movies have in common? They are the same story. The hero’s journey is defined by the call to adventure, crossing the threshold, trials and transformation, and, eventually, the reward.

What do Law and Order, Star Trek, Grey’s Anatomy, and about 100 other hour-long dramas have in common? Every episode is the same: Teaser (crime/conflict), Act 1 (main characters), Act 2 (red herrings), Act 3 (breakthroughs), Act 4 (resolutions), Tag.

Creativity Essential Reads

What Are You Designed to Do?

Choosing to Be Creative

Why do writers do this? Because audiences need it. Without an innate understanding of story structure, following the plot requires more mental energy than we can handle. Creativity is required to make every film and episode feel completely different.

Creativity, at its core, is problem-solving. Interior designers solve the problem of maximizing interior spaces, instructional designers solve the problem of cultivating learning, and software designers solve the problem of coordinating machines and users.

Creative problem-solving is evident in organizational strategy as well. In sending and receiving DVDs by mail, Netflix started out by solving the many problems of the video store: driving, movies out of stock, returning, late fees. And then, just to outdo themselves, they solved the problems of their prior solution, as streaming eliminated wait times by mail.

In most cases, the best way to supercharge creativity is to identify constraints.

If you are in sales, you are constrained by market saturation. Therefore, you cannot send a generic email and expect a response. How are you going to get noticed? If you are in HR, you are constrained by cynicism. Therefore, you cannot merely announce an initiative and expect engagement. How are you going to get people to care?

Often, the best way to figure out what to do is by identifying whatever you cannot.

3 Is a Magic Number

There’s a famous quote about the importance of understanding that which is and is not within our control. In most cases, that which we actually can control lies within ourselves. Which is what makes mindset, agility, and creativity so fundamental to our ability to thrive.

If we are intentional in embracing the right mindset in the moment, letting go of the past when needed, and empowering creativity by identifying constraints, we’re going to be at our best, no matter what happens next.

Laura Martin is co-founder and CEO of The Glinda Group, LLC, helping organizations thrive through the application of social science. She has previously been a senior leader at Target, ADP, Razr, and BMS.