Futuristic & Fred Flintstone

The Flintstones made its debut on ABC in 1960. And even though it takes place in an imagined Stone Age period, it really is a show about the future.

Could Hanna-Barbera have imagined that a cartoon sitcom would have left a legacy of 1994’s John Goodman-Rick Moranis-Rosie O’Donnell live-action film? Or how about Flintstones Vitamins, that resulted in kids being 10 million strong and growing (80’s kids know). And in perhaps its greatest societal contribution, found as a topping in donut shops and in cereal bowls everywhere — the Fruity Pebble?

Those legacies are salient, but they aren’t exactly why I think the Flintstones was a show about the future. I could have written this entry about George Jetson and called it something like “Futuristic & Flying cars”. But the people from Bedrock were true visionaries. They walked (their cars) so that the Jetsons could fly.

So today I’m going to talk about the CliftonStrengths talent of Futuristic and why Fred and the gang are a great example of looking forward.

Yabba Dabba Doo It

The Flintstones lived in a world full of imagined conveniences like record players with pterodactyl beaks, vacuum cleaners powered by woolly mammoths and cars made of stone that required that famous foot power.

The Flintstones was a cartoon about the past, but it reflected a deep imagination about the future. That’s the essence of Futuristic: picturing what could be. Dreaming big. Imagining possibilities, even if you might not fully accomplish them.

Fred was always dreaming of something bigger. Whether it was getting promoted at the Slate & Rock Gravel Company, planning a night out with Barney, or chasing bowling glory — he was constantly imagining how life could be better.

His schemes didn’t always go smoothly, but he never stopped dreaming. That’s the Futuristic talent in action.

We (as a society) needed someone to imagine flight, to consider new medicines, to dream up the personal computer. It’s not just about ideas, but about possibilities — even the wildest thoughts that at the time, seem unrealistic.

How many stories from history are there of someone dreaming big, only to be ostracized?

Copernicus was called a heretic for saying that the earth revolved around the sun.

Jonas Salk was mocked for thinking he could come up with the Polio vaccine.

Darwin’s theory of evolution was seen as nonsense.

But they all knew what they believed and pushed science forward, knowing it would take those who followed them to ultimately receive acceptance.

That’s what Futuristic people do best. They see what others don’t yet see. They look past what is and dream of what could be.

Willllllllma!

Fred Flintstone also reminds us that dreaming big doesn’t mean forgetting to enjoy the now.

Whether he’s sliding down a dinosaur’s tail after work or feasting on brontosaurus ribs with his family, Fred had it good in many ways — but a sitcom wouldn’t be a sitcom without some hijinks. As frustrated as things would get, Fred usually figured out that he needed to enjoy the here and now.

That would be my advice to anyone with Futuristic talent. See the vision, but make sure you stay present by sharing it with others by letting them know you have a talent for imagining possibilities. You won’t hit on every bright idea, but just by letting others know how you think can reassure them that you’re not just dreaming up some cockamamie plan.

Most of us aren’t coming up with the next societal revolution or product that changes the world. Futuristic talents can help us in our organizations imagine how we can broaden our impact, how we can evolve our strategic plans or recruit the right talent.

Ask your leaders and organizational partners how you can be part of the project. Understand that you can see how it all turns out if we just set it as our vision statement. Then you might take some stone age process, product or person and help modernize it.

Just like in the theme song:

Flintstones. Meet the Flintstones.
They’re the modern stone age family.