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Being a visionary means thinking about the future and taking action to make that future happen. Since every person thinks about the future, being a visionary is a natural skill every person possesses. So the question shifts from “Are you a visionary?” to “HOW are you a visionary?”

Some years back, I faced my first major crisis of managing uncertainty. I was an executive manager of Information Technology for an international oil and gas firm based in Dallas, Texas, USA. The oil crisis was at its peak and I had less staff and more demands.

I was speaking with a colleague whose client was preparing a proposal for an innovative initiative, to present to their company’s executive committee. At one point, we talked about where the resistance might come from – not based on the content of the proposal, but based on the kind of innovative thinking behind the content.

One day a colleague and I were talking with a group of executives with a multi-national corporation. They were exploring how we might help them expand the scope of innovation beyond their R&D department to more areas of the organization.

I woke up one morning and literally my brain hurt.