Anticipate by Rob-Jan de Jong Summary

Anticipate teaches leaders to develop visionary thinking by sharpening two core skills: spotting early signals of change and connecting these insights into actionable strategies. Using the FuturePriming process, Rob-Jan de Jong provides tools to frame compelling visions, communicate effectively, and create strategic advantages in uncertain environments.

Executives, managers, and professionals seeking to enhance strategic foresight and lead organizational change will benefit from this book. It’s ideal for those in dynamic industries like tech, finance, or healthcare, where anticipating trends is critical.

Yes—the book blends academic research with actionable frameworks like FuturePriming, offering practical exercises to boost visionary leadership. Reviews highlight its value for leaders navigating disruption and aiming to inspire teams with future-focused narratives.

Key ideas include:

• Seeing early: Identifying weak signals of change before competitors.
• Connecting dots: Synthesizing trends into coherent visions.
• FuturePriming: A structured method to distinguish meaningful patterns from noise.

The book emphasizes training imagination and strategic thinking through exercises like scenario planning and metaphor-building. Leaders learn to craft narratives that align teams with long-term goals, fostering adaptability and innovation.

FuturePriming is Rob-Jan de Jong’s trademarked method to cultivate foresight. It involves scanning the environment for emerging trends, interpreting their implications, and translating insights into actionable strategies—helping leaders avoid reactive decision-making.

• Vision requires proactive trend analysis, not intuition.
• Communicate visions using stories to engage emotions.
• Balance big-picture thinking with practical execution steps.

While praised for its practicality, some may find the focus on abstract concepts like imagination challenging to apply immediately. Critics suggest pairing the book with industry-specific case studies for context.

De Jong references organizations like Philips and ING, which leveraged strategic foresight to innovate. The book also analyzes historical visionaries, such as Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., to illustrate impactful storytelling.

Unlike generic leadership guides, Anticipate specializes in future-focused strategies, combining neuroscience and practical frameworks. It complements works like Good to Great by adding a foresight dimension to traditional leadership models.

Yes—readers learn to identify industry shifts, adapt skill sets, and position themselves as forward-thinking leaders. Techniques like trend analysis and vision communication are transferable to personal branding and career planning.

De Jong teaches at Wharton’s Global Strategic Leadership program and advises Fortune 500 companies like Dannon and HCL. His expertise bridges academic research and real-world leadership challenges.