GQ_South_Africa_2017

64 GQ.CO.ZA OCTOBER 2017

Words by John Sanei

Do you see yourself as a victim of

the future or an architect of it?

ADVICE

SHOOT

FOR

THE

MOON

The way the world does

business – even the very

nature of business – is

changing fast. We asked

John Sanei, trend specialist,

innovation strategist and

author of What’s Your

Moonshot?, to offer up

some tips on how to make

sage business moves

I

f you want to thrive rather than survive,

you will need the mindset and business

tactics to embrace change. Th e fi rst

step is to get your internal strategy right:

do you see yourself as a victim of the

future or an architect of it? Th e second

step is to decipher which business

strategies, trends and innovations are

relevant to you in this era of disruption as

you start developing and implementing

your ‘Moonshot’ idea.

PRISONERS AND WARDENS

Don’t get stuck in the rut of success

wherein you become both the prisoner

and the warden. My personal story is the

textbook case of why businesses fail if

they’re not prepared for the future. Are

you holding yourself ransom and

scrambling to keep the ball rolling? If your

business is thriving, you need to ask

yourself if it’s because you are cutting

costs, pushing sales harder and looking for

ways to save money, or because you are

fundamentally growing your business.

Getting stuck in an ironic rut of success

means that you haven’t truly responded to

the changes around you or found new

ways of doing things. By forcing yourself to

stay afl oat, you aren’t breaking free from

the shackles of the rat race, you’re just lost

in it. Change and innovation begin with

self-awareness and stepping out of your

comfort zone.

GET YOUR MIND STRAIGHT

You are either a victim or a victor. Your

mindset and internal dialogue play a big

role in shaping the habits and patterns of

thinking that can turn you into a ‘victim’,

hindering both personal and professional

success. Th e ability to become self-aware

is by far the most important tool when it

comes to realising that you are a victim

and when you are (perhaps unknowingly)

keeping yourself confi ned to running on

autopilot instead of exploring your

opportunities. If habits are formed by

What’s Your

Moonshot? by

John Sanei

(Burnet Media

R240)

learning, this suggests that we can also

unlearn our victim mindset. Do you feel

easily bullied or are you the bully? Do you

feel like things never go your way? If you

are blaming anybody and everybody for

what’s happening in your life, then you are

in victim mode and need to become aware

of how your internal dialogue is shaping

your reality.

BE A VICTOR

A victor is someone who doesn’t take

anything personally. When we are victors,

we see opportunity every where, and we’re

not afraid to knock on its door. It’s also

about making sure we remain best friends

with ourselves and our victor character. To

be a victor, you need to focus on success,

not failure; move through the world with

reverence and a sense of humanity, and see

everyone as equals in order to access

unlimited opportunities and potential.

Follow your highest excitement, and catch

yourself when the victim starts talking.

LEARN A DIFFERENT KIND

OF LANGUAGE

To understand the future, we need to learn

a new language that defi nes our rhetoric.

My Forever Profi table methodolog y helps

organisations and governments around

the world to dissect, anticipate and be

excited about the future, rather than be

scared of it. It starts with evaluating the

trends and future of technolog y, your

industry, your consumer and your

employee. To be forever profi table, you

also need a solid internal culture in which

people and ideas can grow, a place to

innovate with purpose. Lastly, you can

turn to ramifi cation tactics to sustain

a future-proof business. You don’t need to

be an oracle to see what your future might

look like. Anticipation is preparation.

FIND YOUR MOONSHOT

Moonshots take you out of your comfort

zone and place you fi rmly on the

trajectory that you want to create

for yourself. Every individual has

a diff erent skillset and their own unique

experiences. To fi nd your Moonshot, you

need to pinpoint your natural inclinations

or talents that will help you develop an

idea within your fi eld of expertise and

familiar environment. Achieving your

Moonshot must come naturally to you.

What excites you?