1. Ignoring the future (You let today's concerns give you an excuse to not focus on the future) [See: Keep an eye on the future while righting the ship].
2. Shortsightedness (You only think a few years into the future) [See: The foresight gap: what too many organizations get wrong]
3. Mistaking the present for the future (You mistake fixing things and catching up with today for being future-focused) [See: If you're only keeping up you're probably going backwards]
4. Narrowness (You fail to realize your future will be shaped by a much larger one which you need to understand) [See: Foresight illustrated: choosing how broad a view to take while exploring the future]
5. All else held equal (You let your attention focus on just one change, and assume everything else stays the same) [A solution is to use scenarios– fleshed out views of the future — to make sure you explore how multiple changes will unfold. See: Why we need scenarios to be ready for the future]
6. Lack of vision (You have not thought through nor communicated the future you want or expect) [See: You can't be what you can't see]
7. Deafness (You don't listen to others, or pay attention to signals of change) [See: Talk to the frog]
For more on pitfalls and "deadly sins" for foresight see: 13 mistakes you make when exploring the future
For good habits in foresight that can fight these sins, see: 27 habits of highly effective futurists
Image: detail from Hieronymus Bosch, The seven deadly sins and the four last things, circa 1500. Museo del Prado, Madrid. Public domain.
