Anticipate: The Art of Leading by Looking Ahead

You’re not leading your organization anywhere . . .unless you’re leading it into the future.

Business schools, leadership gurus, and strategy guides agree—leaders must have a vision. But the sad truth is that most don’t...or at least not one that compels, inspires, and energizes their people. How can something so essential be practiced so little in real life?

Vision may sound like a rare quality, unattainable by all except a select few—but nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone can expand their visionary capacity. You just need to learn how. In Anticipate, strategy and leadership expert Rob-Jan de Jong explains that to develop vision you must sharpen two key skills. The first is the ability to see things early—spotting the first hints of change on the horizon. The second is the power to connect the dots—turning those clues into a gripping story about the future of your organization and industry.

Packed with stories and practices, Anticipate provides proven techniques for looking ahead and exploring many plausible futures—including the author’s trademarked FuturePriming process, which helps distinguish signal from noise. You will discover how to:

Tap into your imagination and open yourself to the unconventional • Become better at seeing things early • Frame the big-picture view that provides direction for the future • Communicate your vision in a way that engages others and provokes action • And more

When you anticipate change before your competitors, you create enormous strategic advantage. That’s what visionaries do...and now so can you.

About the Author

Rob-Jan de Jong is one of five faculty members in Wharton's flagship executive program "Global Strategic Leadership." A sought-after international consultant, he helps leaders and companies anticipate the future and arrive at winning strategies. His clients include Philips, ING, HCL, Total Oil, and other top organizations and business schools.