Practical Wisdom for Leaders with Scott J. Allen, Ph.D.

Lead Like a Futurist: Navigating Change and Designing the Future with Cecily Sommers

6 snips

Mar 26, 2025

Cecily Sommers, named one of the world’s “50 Leading Female Futurists” by Forbes, inspires leaders to embrace transformational change. She explains how foresight plays a crucial role in leadership, helping organizations identify advantageous opportunities. Cecily delves into essential themes like co-creation and ethical decision-making, emphasizing the need for adaptability in evolving environments. Listeners will discover the significance of creating reflective space for leaders and how engaging with innovative thinkers can fuel personal growth.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Leaders as Futurists

Leaders and futurists both look ahead into an unclear future.
Foresight principles, applied to inner development, cultivate wisdom.

INSIGHT

Following the Future

The future is not something to be figured out, but rather something to be followed.
Futurists study change, its forces, and patterns, from cosmic to societal levels.

ADVICE

Zooming In and Out

Zoom out to gain a broader perspective on what truly matters.
Then zoom back in and focus on materializing those important things.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Send us a text

Cecily Sommers helps leaders anticipate and steward transformational change. Named one of the world’s "50 Leading Female Futurists" by Forbes, Cecily embeds foresight in leadership development programs, training clients to become their own best futurists.

As the strategist that Google, Salesforce, Purina, and JP Morgan Chase turn to make sense of their future, Cecily guides organizations through critical questions such as "Which opportunities give us the most advantage?” and “How do we develop change-ready leaders?”

A two-time TEDx speaker and frequent keynote presenter at conferences, Cecily has been described as “catalytic and brilliant” for making complex issues simple and relatable. Dedicated to advancing change literacy in organizations, she created the “Lead Like a Futurist” program and is a certified Transformational Coach.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

“Leaders and futurists occupy the same position—if you’re leading, you’re already at the edge, looking into the foggy distance to see which direction to go.”
“The future is not figureoutable—it’s only followable. And what futurists do is study change, its forces, and its patterns.”
“We zoom out to see what matters and how things work so that, when we zoom back in, we know how to materialize what truly matters.”
“Sometimes leaders think they need more time, but often what they really need is more space—space to reflect, sense, and align with what’s unfolding.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Think Like a Futurist by Cecily Sommers
The Fourth Turning Is Here by Neil Howe
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail by Ray Dalio

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for Prague - October 15-18, 2025!

About Scott J. Allen

Website
Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders
Blog

My Approach to Hosting

The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.