Verne Wheelwright is an internationally recognized professional in the field of Foresight and Futures Studies. His newest book is Small Business Foresight. Wheelwright is the author of the award winning book It’s Your Future... Make it a Good One! (now in five languages), The Personal Futures Workbook, and the Small Business Foresight Workbook. He has published articles in a number of professional journals and other publications. Dr. Wheelwright has conducted workshops and addressed audiences in major cities across the U.S. He has also spoken to audiences internationally, including Turkey, Denmark, India, Australia, Japan, Canada and other countries. In 2006, Wheelwright was awarded a PhD. from Leeds Metropolitan University for his groundbreaking research in the application of futures methods to individual lives. That research led to the development of The Personal Futures Workbook, which provides detailed worksheets and explanations that lead individuals through the same futuring process used successfully by major businesses and institutions worldwide for decades. The workbook was tested in workshop settings, then made available to the general public as a free download at Wheelwright’s web site, www.personalfutures.net. The workbook has been translated into several languages and is used as a text in colleges and universities. Topics that Wheelwright presents are usually related to personal or small business futures, including: Personal Futures, Step-by-Step, Strategies for a Very Long Life, Leadership: The Long Term Perspective, Small Business Foresight. Dr. Wheelwright’s book, It’s Your Future... Make it a Good One! offers a detailed explanation of how futures methods can be effectively applied to anyone’s personal life. The book offers insights into how futures methods work and is intended to help individuals develop a long term perspective not only in their personal lives but also in their careers. The book is written to be useful to people of all ages, from teenagers to octogenarians and has been translated into several languages. Wheelwright earned his Doctoral Degree from Leeds Metropolitan University (UK), a Master’s degree in Studies of the Future at the University of Houston (UHCL), and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon. Wheelwright is an active member of the Association of Professional Futurists and a member and Fellow of the World Future Studies Federation. His business and personal travels have taken him to over fifty different countries, offering him insights and an awareness of worldwide cultures that underlies his approach to Foresight and Futures Studies.
The methods employed by futurists and taught in universities worldwide were developed for large organizations, and have proven very effective. The same methods can be applied to the lives of individuals and to small businesses, but with a few modifications. This session discusses the differences and how futures methods can be very effective in personal lives and in small businesses.