“If I don’t control the clients decisions, how can I predict the future?”
I met managers genuinely thinking forecasting is impossible because clients do whatever they want.
Forecasting has nothing to do with control. It has everything to do with anticipating events under uncertainty of the future.
No manager will ever control a client.
Nor the market.
Nor the economy.
Instead, they can model patterns, assign probabilities, simulate reactions, and prepare.
🧭 The truth is that what the manager needs is
🔹 Understanding of what might happen, early enough to prepare.
🔹 Scenarios that evaluate the impact of anticipated events.
🔹 Focus on what he can influence, like communication quality, response times, value proposition strength
🔹 Integration of uncertainties they can’t influence, like client decisions, timing surprises. Not by controlling, but by statistics
If managers avoid forecasting because they “don’t control the client,” they end up steering the business blindly:
No anticipation.
No preparation.
Only reaction.
What’s one small step you could take today to see your future a bit more clearly?