What if we all adopt the long view?

We need long-view living & leadership to sustain humanity

I’ve just wrapped up the first cohort of Project Opus, a ten-week programme designed to support accomplished high achievers in composing their life, career or business–their Opus. I chose the word Opus because it represents creativity, craft, and passion; a way of living or a body of work that takes time and effort to build and results in something of significance with enduring impact and value.

Building your Opus involves a long-view way of thinking, living and working; it’s an antidote to pervasive short-term approaches and the uncertainty we all live with today (I’ve written about this previously here). I came to this approach over the past four years after leaving the traditional workplace, and I am now actively building my Opus; you’ll soon be hearing more as this is the topic of my forthcoming book.

I’m not the only one advocating for long-view approaches. Last month, The Elders announced a call for “bold, long-view leadership on existential threats.’  If you’re unfamiliar with The Elders, they’re an independent group of fascinating thinkers and advocates who were first convened by Nelson Mandela in 2007. As Jean Oelwang discusses in her book Partnering: Forge the Deep Connections that Make Great Things Happen, The Elders combine forces to weigh in on and tackle great global challenges affecting people and the planet.

Their latest call to action for long-view leadership is much needed. It’s time for global leaders to adopt a new way of thinking and responding to threats to our “very existence of life on earth.”

In this instance, long-view leaders are defined as “decision-makers who understand the urgency of the existential threats we face and believe in our ability to overcome them.”

“Long-view leadership means showing the determination to resolve intractable problems, not just manage them, the wisdom to make decisions based on scientific evidence and reason, and the humility to listen to all those affected. Long-view leaders must have the moral strength to address both current concerns and long-term risks, often at the expense of vested interests.”

They go further, sharing the five principles of long-view leadership below. Although these principles are meant for world leaders and decision-makers, they’re easily applicable to corporate leaders who have a secondary but still critical role to play in solving threats to humanity.

“Decision-makers must consistently demonstrate the courage to

1. Think beyond short-term political cycles and deliver solutions for both current and future generations.

2. Recognise that enduring answers require compromise and collaboration for the good of the whole world.

3. Show compassion for all people, designing sustainable policies which respect that everyone is born free and equal in dignity and rights.

4. Uphold the international rule of law and accept that durable agreements require transparency and accountability.

5. Commit to a vision of hope in humanity’s shared future, not play to its divided past.”

For corporate and organizational leaders, this means thinking beyond near-term financials and market headwinds when making everyday decisions and focusing on building more sustainable versions of the companies they lead.

Delivering long-view leadership in a short-term world is challenging. I’ve led in a corporate context, and the emphasis on the near term is real. Despite being in futures-oriented roles and offering critical insights into present and future challenges and opportunities, there was always pressure to focus on demonstrating impact on near-term results. That pressure is greatest at the top, especially in publicly traded companies.

Most leaders tend to focus on solving problems; this is a reactionary approach. Long-view leadership means crafting a clear and compelling vision of the desired future state and using that as a lens through which every challenge or problem is filtered. Then, each decision becomes part of a wider tapestry, intentionally constructing that vision.

This type of leadership requires a commitment to a future state, patience, and the willingness to sacrifice reactionary, near-term positions in favor of achieving the long view. It also requires determination, especially since the average person makes about 35,000 daily decisions (Source: Cornell University).

I appreciated Nicky Sparshott’s recent LinkedIn post on Unilever’s Climate Transition Action plan about bringing the long-view into solving global challenges: 

“My view on this is simple: leaders must adopt the idea of making a dollar and a difference to combat today’s challenges. In simple terms, it means leaders must deliver kick-ass financial results AND have a positive impact on the planet and society. Easier said than done: it takes conviction, attention and conscious commitment.” - Nicky Sparshott, Chief Transformation Officer, Unilever

This is long-view leadership in action.

Focusing on today is a habit that will be nearly impossible to break. Getting there will take more than just bold leadership by government decision-makers; it takes systemic change. But, with our lives on the line, aren’t we finally ready to leap?

What if we all adopted the long view?

When I saw The Elders’ call to action, I immediately thought about what it would take for everyone to adopt the long view in their lives and on the job.

Our world today is set up for short-term thinking and rewards. And, being ‘busy’ has become a socially acceptable permanent state for most people.

But, ‘busy’ is a form of self-sabotage. In this case, it’s a form of societal self-sabotage–at some point, being too ‘busy’ with short-term thinking will have dire consequences for all of humanity, hence The Elders’ call.

So, how can we slow ourselves down as a society to figure out the long view and how can we achieve it? Then, we can speed up and take action. 

I’m just one person, but I believe we can each begin to make a change by adopting a long-view in our own lives, sharing this approach with others, and bringing it into any circle in which we have influence or leadership: our families, our communities, local governments, schools, companies and more.

The Elders have started something vital to humanity's future, but it will remain an unheeded call to action until it becomes a widespread campaign and practice.

Are you in? How will you ignite the long view into spaces where you lead?