How was your annual preview?

Dec 21, 2024

She enters the almost empty office café through the blue-lit doors of the preview lounge. As the door closes, its ambient lighting shifts to a warm orange glow of the break protocol. Her colleague from the recent project looks intensely at a cup of tea, trying to make it brew faster. He looks up and smiles.

- Oh, hi there. Already back at the office? How was your annual preview?

- It was a mixed bag. The preview was solid. We fine-tuned quite a few variants, so I’m really happy…

- Buuut?

- I bombed one scenario so badly that my manager got excited as I generated a path no one had ever considered.

- Good for you?

- I guess. Are you next?

- Yup. Once my tea brews, I’m jumping right in.

- You never struck me as a tea drinker?

- Ha. That’s my trick for high-profile meetings. I always drink tea to communicate calmness and sophistication. My tea knows precisely what kind of day I need.

- And what is that?

- A day with tea.

- Ha. So you’re a coffee person in disguise?

- Yup.

- You have everything under control.

- The worst of today has already happened, so I’m rather optimistic. There was an earthquake, so we had to cancel our holiday.

- I’m sorry to hear that. That must have been disappointing. I thought you were just stressed out before your preview.

- Maybe a little. It’s my first one here. I hope my annual preview doesn’t turn the year into a never-ending Deja Vu.

- You’ll be fine. Would you prefer a good old annual performance review?

- Wasn’t it easier? With performance reviews, you were only responsible for what already happened and the results that had already been delivered.

The machine starts whizzing when his colleague orders a drink.

- Where’s ownership in that? When you think of it, it’s the same thing. It’s just flipped over to cover for AI-driven productivity increase. Cheap and accessible modelling led to a major shift in strategising, and we all live in the future now. Looking at the present through the lens of the future, not at the future through the lens of the present.

- All the future-facing metrics stuff?

- It’s not as scary as it sounds. Honestly, it’s just a new way of ensuring we’re ready for whatever comes next. When everything changes that fast, measuring growth potential works better than focusing on past performance. All the things you can’t change are in the past. You have agency over the future. Even hiring for potential is a safer bet when everything changes so rapidly.

- Why are you previewing so early?

- The slow season makes me super effective. When your base comp is tied to potential and your bonus to past performance, you know what you’re working for.

- Speaking of unlocking potential, have you managed to unlock anything new in your achievement tree this year?

- Yes! Quite a lot of fancy stuff.

- Nice! Anything exciting?

- Easy. I finally got weather rights for my workstation.

- Welcome to the realm of personal microclimate.

They share a smile.

- The same team as last year or something new?

- The same. I maxed out collab chemistry with my current project.

The door turns blue again, displaying the schedule for today.

- Well. It’s my slot. Wish me luck!

- You’re good enough not to rely on luck. I hope you’ll have a great year.

- You bet!

- Sure thing.

She fist bumps him and confirms intent with a waving gesture.

- 500 for Antar.

- Oh, thanks. I appreciate your vote of confidence.

- Go get them! Tomorrow’s success is just another well-planned cycle away.

The doors close behind his colleague, changing the ambient lighting back to orange.

Hello Practical Futurists,

Welcome back from the future, where evaluation looks forward, not backwards, and careers come with achievement trees.

Hit the "Like" button at the top or bottom of this page to inspire others and help them discover the stories you've enjoyed.

Good leaders don't just wait for the future.

They help to create it.

Thank you for your continuous support and dedication to envisioning a better future with us.

Let's dive into our weekly workout, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to build a future-proof mindset.

To spark your imagination, we'll start with an inspiring quote:

"The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday's logic."

Peter Drucker

Let's connect this story to your personal life to make it more relatable and engaging.

Personal life reflection prompts:

If you could save only one species, would you pick tea or coffee?
What 2 rituals or habits help you project confidence in important situations?
How do you balance authenticity with presenting your best self?
What 3 aspects of your future self are within your control to shape?
How do you maintain optimism when facing unexpected changes to your plans?

That was great!

Let's fire up your thinking to the organisational level now.

It’s time to explore professional applications in the context of the industry, team, service, or product you're working with.

Professional life reflection prompts

How comfortable would you feel if your base compensation was tied to your growth potential and your bonus to your past performance? What one thing could improve it?
What 3 strategies would help your team maintain optimism while planning for multiple futures?
How might preview-based evaluations change hiring practices in your field?
Which 2 future-facing metrics could your organisation adopt to monitor growth potential better?
Which new evaluation metrics might emerge in your industry if AI would drive productivity increase?
What 2 metrics could better measure adaptability and growth potential in your team?
How would you design an achievement tree system that could motivate continuous learning in your organisation?
Name 2 leaders who create an environment nurturing potential rather than just evaluating performance.

Key takeaway: Today's Solutions Won't Solve Tomorrow's Problems

When everything changes around us, the biggest risk isn't the change - it's sticking to the old ways of thinking.

Imagine playing chess while someone keeps changing the rules. You wouldn't win by stubbornly using the same strategies. Yet, in business and personal life, we often cling to familiar approaches even when they no longer fit our reality.

Take the rise of remote work. Companies that tried to apply traditional office management techniques to remote teams struggled. Those that succeeded rewrote their playbook instead of forcing the old methods into new situations.

The real skill isn't just handling change - it's updating our thinking to match new circumstances. Today's problems need today's solutions.

This applies to business and beyond: