That tree made two million last year
- Sorry to keep you waiting folks.
- No problem. How is your day?
- Phenomenal. I only regret that hand washing is not a popular competitive sport. I washed my hands better than 97.87% of other people in the city today.
- Top percentile. I hope your rejection training goes equally well.
- I’m on fire. Maybe I will fail my rejection training today? Is it even possible?
- Not really. The point of rejection training is not to get people to agree with you but to get a certain number of rejections, making you more comfortable hearing “no” in the process.
- What did I miss?
They grab their blue safe helmets and start walking.
- We’re discussing standard operating procedures for our next patient.
- Another tree-watering drone?
- What else would you expect to break at this time of the year?
- I wanted to be an engineer and somehow I’m slowly becoming a gardener.
- This is how cities make money nowadays. Why everyone wants to live next to a park? People love trees. The oxygen, the shade, the looks, the cooling effect and now the tree index for real estate.
- Cities banked on our love for nature and turned trees into real money-makers. All city trees are turned into tokenised assets, creating an index for neighbouring real estate. Property tax is calculated based on property value. Property value rises with the tree index. The simplest way to increase real estate value is to plant more trees next to it.
- More trees, more tax money. That tree made two million last year. How cool is that?
- Our drones keep our trees in great shape to help the city make money to then thrive and expand.
- Cities are the almost indestructible pinnacle of human civilisation. You work for a super-organism.
- When you put it that way…
- It’s all about framing. Everything makes more sense in context. It’s so much easier to enjoy a clear sense of purpose if you have some extra context.
They put on their helmets, waiting for the workshop hangar-style door to open.
- For me, this frame is just too complicated.
- But everything is complicated.
- Who said that if something looks simple, you’re just not looking hard enough?
He claps twice to snap them out of the detour.
- Ok. Let’s get back to work.
- Where did we pick this one? Diagnostics module is not responding.
- It broke at the Golden Triangle.
- Have you seen those buildings there? They are so damn high. The views must be breathtaking.
- Do you think people living on top floors even appreciate it?
- True. I heard that one of the downsides of living this high is that you can no longer look out the window to make sense of the weather by observing what people on the street are wearing.
- That is an interesting problem to have.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome back from the future where trees are the real money-makers.
Let's jump into our weekly workout, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to enhance your strategic imagination and prepare your leadership for the future.
Weekly Self-Reflection Prompts
Let’s begin by making products and services mentioned in the story more relatable by grounding them in your personal life. You can start with this quote for extra inspiration.
“Futures not achieved are only branches of the past: dead branches.”
Italo Calvino
Personal life reflection prompts
How would the tree index impact the value of the property you currently live in?
What 2 things could city drones do in your area beyond cleaning and watering plants?
When was the last time reframing a challenging life event within a larger perspective helped you navigate it more effectively?
How can you maintain appreciation for simple pleasures in your household while staying connected to the natural world?
What are your 4 favourite simple pleasures, like enjoying a certain view or a drink in the sun?
Nice work!
Let’s move on to the context of the industry, organisation, team, service, or product you are working with.
Professional life reflection prompts
What are the 3 problems you’d love your team to have?
How could the tokenising company assets or data model work for your industry or company?
In what 2 ways could exploring your work's broader context affect your team’s job satisfaction and effectiveness?
Would gamified health and safety practices in your workplace improve employee compliance and engagement or frame safety-critical behaviours as less serious and optional?
What 2 practical problems could turning a resource into an asset face at a large scale?
Name 3 exceptionally resilient colleagues who would excel at rejection training if your company or industry introduced such training.
You did great!
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Thank you for expanding your imagination with us. Leaders with bold ideas move our world forward.
Think bright, and see you soon.
Pawel Halicki
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