The Origins of Foresee Now
Founded in 1968, although first envisaged 16 years prior, the firm began as Thomas L. Preston Public Relations. That’s when, for the first two years, its 17-year-old originator walked and hitch-hiked 22 miles each way daily to and from the University of Kentucky.
Money was scarce. Several part-time jobs became necessary. Usually, he found work reporting and writing for newspapers as well as the former International News Service – 4-cents a word!
During three football seasons, Tom earned roles as graduate student assistant high school coach where he formerly played.
Our History, from 1968 and BEYOND
Since 1968, clients and observers have viewed our consulting and practitional services as “one-of-a-kind” . . . “remarkably innovative” . . . and “consistently perceptive about the future.”
Elevating creative R&D to help solve tormenting business and leadership problems remains a steadfast priority here. Crises, public issues, violence, communication failures and other menaces all lead to various miseries.
Thus, improving methodologies must never become static. This is one of our principles.
Pathfinders benefit clients. Also, relieving key personnel from sudden burdens imposed by crucial interruptions is essential. Thus we are thus we do.
With diploma in hand, while focusing on an eventual multifaceted career, Mr. Preston – still our CEO – became Kentucky’s youngest professional newspaper editor – briefly. Active Army duty beckoned just nine months later.
Unrealized at that time, a series of somewhat disparate experiences positively impacted the recently commissioned armor officer’s destiny.
One example, decision-making under stressful conditions, gave him empathy with respect to future clients severely burdened by sudden woes, reputational liabilities and emotional stress.
Such exposures taught anxiety-avoidance – memorable lessons when immersed in patrons’ seemingly unsolvable problems.
Keeping one’s adversaries confused and off-balance, emphasized throughout training and found invaluable during precarious times, remains another oft-applied product from his military years.
Those dynamic periods also gave him initial exposures to “Heuristic Education” (H-E). H-E is the ancient Greek practice emphasizing self-discovery as the best route to enlightenment.
H-E achieves deeper/broader understanding as well as greater accuracy for predetermining future events or effects from various stimuli. It relates directly to subsequent activities resulting from human behaviors, responses, or degrees of interest.
Tom labeled this rare talent, “Superior Foreseeability” (S-F).
Seemingly endless studying, testing and evaluating synergisms between H-E and S-F ultimately proved each, when in tandem, highly advantageous to clients. H-E and S-F applications are our exclusive techniques.
Tom’s commitment to finding better methods of halting or mitigating harsh effects from antagonizing business setbacks has no finish line.
Growing Pains in Our History. GOOD ONES!
Thomas L. Preston Public Relations evolved early into The Preston Group, Inc. (headquartered in Lexington, KY). Ultimately Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois satellite offices were established. A New York connection also resulted with the very prominent mega firm, Manning, Selvage & Lee.
In 1997, Tom gave independence to a major portion of The Preston Group (TPG), crisis prevention and response, which was one of the two original practice specialties. He named it Preston Global. A year later he sold all TPG stock to long-time President Phil Osborne. This preceded moving administrative functions to the Nashville area where he unveiled reorganization plans for ForeseeNow (FSN), the Preston Global extension.
The objective: Greater flexibility in delivering current and future specialty services to address an ever-changing era where business pressures will evolve more rapidly than ever before.
He believes unfamiliar impediments prompting extraordinary difficulties will overburden C-suite executives. As such, FSN-styled specialists prepared by education, intensive participatory training, vast experience, and who are adaptable, will be sought.
This comes only through rare skills, depth of thought, and visionary problem-solving techniques.
Confronting new and different strife-inducing obstacles endangering businesses had to be a more immediate objective.
In 2020, Mr. Preston insisted on realigning his firm’s capabilities so they would be available for “change challenges” confronting the social sciences.
“Society isn’t static,” he insists. “Thinking and acting reactively has been a leadership flaw in too many cases. Maybe our emphasis on making it harder for bad things to happen rather than acting only when they do, will eventually inspire others.”
Among FSN’s preventive staples are vulnerability assessments. Each is created exclusively for a client’s situation. In one way, vulnerability assessments can be considered our CAT, PET or MRI scans. Wherever we investigate, in most cases hidden frailties can be revealed. Improvements come next. No finer example is violence prevention, whether terrorism, workplace fierceness or random shootings.
Again, we’re ahead of the pack. Our long history of confronting terrorist groups and other violent lawless matters, either for prevention or response, is well documented.
Why is this one of our specialties? The answer often is elusive even for business leaders. Briefly, if your enterprise is a scene of violence, and the act adversely impacts the safety or general-well-being of another, then you are at-risk legally, financially and otherwise.
Lawsuits, damaging press, reputational nightmares, business delays, employee morale issues, false rumors and other distractions enter a complex equation. Outcomes can overwhelm financially as well as emotionally to anyone deemed accountable. Career-defining moments aren’t uncommon!
Our exclusive, proprietary research reveals how vulnerability (V-As) increase precision when predicting an adversary’s strategies and tactics. It’s one more superb tool created here. V-As almost always enhance internal and external operational security.
Further benefits come from Matt Preston’s career with the United States Secret Service, as well as Pat Melton’s tenure in community law enforcement. Add to these patron assets Tom Preston’s backgrounds in counterterrorism and as executive director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security.
Seize the Day? WHY NOT?
Foresee Now will continue introducing novel strategies, tactics and techniques to thwart or solve puzzles confronting leadership wherever. Prevailing societal trends often require audacity when defending a client under extreme risk.
Extraordinarily bold decisions can be the only alternative to a troubled organization. We’ve used them victoriously, saving business entities from disastrous outcomes. Our commitment to investigate, discover, analyze, and identify solutions at the highest efficacy level will not wane.
Two case management factors are particularly relevant. First, rapidity of change – positive and negative – accelerates the pace for excellence as counselor and tactician.
Second, most enigmas cause alarm, followed by sustaining anxiety. They interrupt productivity, spark gossip, affect morale discipline, and disturb publics often ignored. A single tragedy and how it’s managed can determine careers.
Because of these plus related realities, we exist.
ForeseeNow assumes the emotional load while eliminating incident-connected disruptions and distractions that alter executive schedules. Specifically, and through longevity, we bring into such situations extensive exposure to similar cases.
Absence of expert, mature control without bias or emotion frequently guarantees adverse outcomes. Bad outcomes equal bad press, reputational peril. We measure and address each.
Placing FSN consulting specialists on site to assist any internal personnel control momentum from whatever misfortune is occurring against a client is the most efficient, revenue-saving step toward success. And, that is just part of what we do for C-suite leadership.
From Fortune 100s to elected officials, and from east, west, north, and south, we’ve counseled senior execs and worked at their offices, evaluating and settling complicated matters jeopardizing patrons like:
- Hospitals
- Medical centers
- Global manufacturers
- Utilities
- Universities
- Hotels
- Private enterprises
- Tourism interests
- Threatened dignitaries
- Architects
- Engineers
- Physicians
- Trade associations
- Financial institutions
Looking Ahead
Specialization is THE criteria for most professional service firms, where particular skills are honed as near perfectly as possible.
Long ago, after specializing successfully in a vast array of client crises, emergencies, and public issues, we sensed a necessity for our profession to bring in certifiable safety and security experts. Unlike our parent company, response elsewhere was tepid.
Violence abatement matched perfectly with what alert leaders were discovering as new horizons brought new warnings against peace and tranquility. Terrorism already had highlighted such needs.
Today, we rely heavily on Heuristic Education, Superior Foreseeability, and, as mentioned, vulnerability assessments in nearly all practice modes. Doing so expands our synergistic approach to the crisis arena.
As far back as 40 years ago we began conducting terrorism and counterterrorism seminars for first responders, school officials, associations, and corporate security personnel.
Sessions remained open to the press. Right after Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal Building bombing, we partnered with the late Jon Hansen, the deputy fire chief. John was the “voice” for accurate reports in rescue and recovery.
Thus began another specialization.
Bad things happen to good people. While some cannot be halted, the intensity can be reduced. Less severe outcomes are possible!
Your inquiries about our specialty practices are welcomed.
