The most important competency in the business world today – the ability to anticipate future trends and position our organizations to take advantage of them – is a mystery to most of the accounting and finance profession. If you want to jump ahead of the competition, forget agility. Forget crisis management. The main skill you need to thrive in a business environment marked by hyperchange and uncertainty is the ability to accurately anticipate the future. This may seem impossible. It’s not!

The need for future-focused strategies has never been greater. In a recent national survey, 76 percent of small business owners say their CPAs are not proactive, and 75 percent have changed firms because their CPAs are providing reactive services rather than proactive advice. Another recent survey found that only 6 percent of CFOs, controllers and management accountants say they are future-ready.

Dan Burrus is one of the world’s leading technology forecasters and innovation experts. He has been helping stakeholders to see and shape the future for more than 30 years. The Anticipatory Organization – Accounting and Finance Edition synthesizes his approach into an “accelerated learning system” that includes a series of short, single-concept videos featuring Burrus that presents the model’s core principles. Each video is followed by a job aid and rapid-application activity that teach you how to apply the concept to everyday activities. The result is a powerful tool that will help you know what’s next, develop opportunities, shape the future and accelerate success.

Change is coming, fast. The winners will be those who can anticipate those changes to leverage new opportunities. Reorient your thinking about the future…your future.