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How Futures Thinking Sharpens Strategy | Tameka Vasquez
Most companies are stuck toggling between reacting to the moment and chasing the next big thing. Tameka Vasquez helps them pause, zoom out, and build strategy that doesn’t just respond, but reimagines.
In this episode, we unpack what futures thinking actually looks like in practice: how to build clarity inside complexity, what makes vision operational (not just aspirational), and why tiny shifts—not big bets—are what shape tomorrow.
Tameka Vasquez is a futurist, strategist, educator, and the Founder of The Future Quo, an advisory group helping executive teams design new visions with foresight, creativity, and purpose. Her background spans brand strategy, systems design, and academia—including roles as Head of Marketing at Google’s Sidewalk Labs and teaching at Columbia University.
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What we explore in this episode:
- Why strategic foresight isn’t about prediction and what it’s actually for
- How trend-chasing leads to mimicry, not momentum
- The cost of working without vision, and how it shows up day-to-day
- Why futures thinking belongs in the room, not in the research deck
- How to design for possibility when urgency is loud
- What LEGO got right—and what your team can learn from it
- The power of narrative as an operating system
- Why “nonlinear” careers are often the most aligned
_______
Shownotes and transcript: https://unmissables.substack.com/p/how-futures-thinking-sharpens-strategy
_______
Mentioned on the episode:
The Future Quo: https://www.thefuturequo.com
PwC 2024 Global CEO Survey: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/2024/download/27th-ceo-survey.pdf
Strategic Foresight 101: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/strategic-foresight-help-companies-survive-thrive/
LEGO Scenario Planning: https://www.seriousinsights.net/legos-scenario-planning-asia/
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Where to find Tameka Vasquez
LinkedIn : /tamekavasquez
The Future Quo: https://www.thefuturequo.com
Where to find Ariba Jahan
Linkedin: /aribajahan/
Substack Newsletter: unmissableswithariba.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ariba.jahan
_______
Follow along:
00:00 – Welcome + Meet Tameka Vasquez
02:20 – How Tameka Found Her Way to Futures Work
04:30 – What 'Futures Thinking' Means
11:20 – Democratizing the Practice of Foresight
16:00 – Tameka’s Approach: From Trends to Narrative
23:45 – Vision Gaps in a Reactive World
24:00 – The LEGO case study: foresight in action
31:00 – AI, Urgency, and the Risk of Reactive Thinking
40:45 – Making Futures Thinking Practical
46:15 – Multiplicity, Reinvention, and Nonlinear Careers
49:30 – Unmissable Signals + Closing Reflections
_______
Your review helps more listeners find us: If you enjoyed listening to this episode, then please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and a 5-star rating on Spotify. Thank you so much!
Get full access to Unmissables with Ariba Jahan at unmissables.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Ariba Jahan
5
2727 ratings
Most companies are stuck toggling between reacting to the moment and chasing the next big thing. Tameka Vasquez helps them pause, zoom out, and build strategy that doesn’t just respond, but reimagines.
In this episode, we unpack what futures thinking actually looks like in practice: how to build clarity inside complexity, what makes vision operational (not just aspirational), and why tiny shifts—not big bets—are what shape tomorrow.
Tameka Vasquez is a futurist, strategist, educator, and the Founder of The Future Quo, an advisory group helping executive teams design new visions with foresight, creativity, and purpose. Her background spans brand strategy, systems design, and academia—including roles as Head of Marketing at Google’s Sidewalk Labs and teaching at Columbia University.
_______
What we explore in this episode:
- Why strategic foresight isn’t about prediction and what it’s actually for
- How trend-chasing leads to mimicry, not momentum
- The cost of working without vision, and how it shows up day-to-day
- Why futures thinking belongs in the room, not in the research deck
- How to design for possibility when urgency is loud
- What LEGO got right—and what your team can learn from it
- The power of narrative as an operating system
- Why “nonlinear” careers are often the most aligned
_______
Shownotes and transcript: https://unmissables.substack.com/p/how-futures-thinking-sharpens-strategy
_______
Mentioned on the episode:
The Future Quo: https://www.thefuturequo.com
PwC 2024 Global CEO Survey: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/2024/download/27th-ceo-survey.pdf
Strategic Foresight 101: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/strategic-foresight-help-companies-survive-thrive/
LEGO Scenario Planning: https://www.seriousinsights.net/legos-scenario-planning-asia/
_______
Where to find Tameka Vasquez
LinkedIn : /tamekavasquez
The Future Quo: https://www.thefuturequo.com
Where to find Ariba Jahan
Linkedin: /aribajahan/
Substack Newsletter: unmissableswithariba.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ariba.jahan
_______
Follow along:
00:00 – Welcome + Meet Tameka Vasquez
02:20 – How Tameka Found Her Way to Futures Work
04:30 – What 'Futures Thinking' Means
11:20 – Democratizing the Practice of Foresight
16:00 – Tameka’s Approach: From Trends to Narrative
23:45 – Vision Gaps in a Reactive World
24:00 – The LEGO case study: foresight in action
31:00 – AI, Urgency, and the Risk of Reactive Thinking
40:45 – Making Futures Thinking Practical
46:15 – Multiplicity, Reinvention, and Nonlinear Careers
49:30 – Unmissable Signals + Closing Reflections
_______
Your review helps more listeners find us: If you enjoyed listening to this episode, then please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and a 5-star rating on Spotify. Thank you so much!
Get full access to Unmissables with Ariba Jahan at unmissables.substack.com/subscribe