Finding the Future 2010 Page 1 of 19 How Henry Ford, Alfred Sloane, Ratan Tata, and Carlos Ghosn Found the Future and Made it Happen! John Pisapia, Florida Atlantic University 1 Every few hundred years in western history there occurs a sharp transformation. We cross. . . a divide. Within a few short decades society rearranges itself, its world view; its basic values; its social and political structure; its arts; its key institutions. Fifty years later, there appears a new world. . . we are currently living through such a transformation. Drucker, 1993, p. 1 ABSTRACT Drucker’s observation of sharp transformation is well underway and alternatives to the legacy models of leadership are imperative. In this chapter I employ the core elements of the strategic leadership system (SL System) to understand the transitions underway, frame our need for new leadership models, and introduce Principle Z: a post-western view of leadership that enables organizations to select a strategic position exemplified in its statement of intent to create the conditions by which it will become the new organizational reality resulting in higher performance on measures of choice. 5000 words; 23 references; 1 table; Tags: Crafting and Implementing Strategy - The Kaleidoscope of Leadership - Orchestrating Change In my book, The Strategic Leader: New Tactics for a Globalizing World (2009) I present a puzzle posed as questions to leaders who want to find the future and make it happen must solve. What is going on here? Do we need to jump the curve? What needs to happen here? What is precious and what is expendable? How do we make it happen? How do we keep making it happen? These questions form the core elements of the strategic leadership system (SL System). When we answer these questions, as I do in this chapter, we are working in a strategic way to find the future and make it happen. 1 John Pisapia is a professor of leadership studies at Florida Atlantic University. In addition to his book The Strategic Leader, he has developed two research instruments: The Strategic Thinking Questionnaire (SLQ) and the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ), and two developmental protocols: The Strategic Thinking Protocol, and the Strategic Execution Protocol to develop the skills of strategic leaders.