This talent is not so much about being FROM the future as much as it is about looking TO the future. I draw a great deal of my motivation and energy - perhaps even the majority of it - from contemplating how the world (or my life) could be in the future. Possibilities excite me and, if I can see how my work pulls an exciting possibility closer, I am as enthusiastic and energetic a worker as anyone could ask for. Being forced to ignore that urge drains me terribly, as does work that I see as both (1) poorly designed and (2) out of my control, because I see no possibility of improvement.
I'm a proponent of the Stockdale Paradox (see: Good to Great) - the acceptance of brutal reality, but faith in the possibility of success. I think that my success in life will hinge on my ability to achieve that paradoxical balance. I have less trouble with the faith than with the acceptance, but that is just a matter of being honest with myself.
This talent, unlike many of the others, actually benefits from being around others with the same talent. Especially visionary people spark my own passion for the future, and I am energized by being around them and speaking with them. I have nothing against realists, but the more someone criticizes non-pragmatic thought as useless, the more they drain me of enthusiasm. On the other hand, I would also benefit from partnering with a person with strong Activator talents, so that I might be reminded that the future has to be made, not just dreamed.
To really leverage this talent, I need to spend time refining my ideas, not just thinking them up. The more vivid I can make my ideas, the more persuasive they will be. The more persuasive my ideas are, the better less-futuristic people will receive them. In a management role, it would also allow me to spot potential in others, although the real challenge for me would be in communicating that potential and fostering its growth.
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