Have you ever looked back on something and thought, “We saw that coming but didn’t act in time”?
That’s not just bad luck. That’s a missed opportunity.
This kind of hindsight is all too common—and all too costly. Business leaders see something that is possibly going to happen but are too afraid to act on it in case it doesn’t, and this costs them.
What these leaders hesitate over are actually future possibilities they have the power to influence. By not acting, they are allowing their competition to act first, taking what should be their own competitive advantage.
In my Anticipatory Organization® Model, I call these future possibilities Soft Trends – or future “maybes” that can be influenced. These trends can be powerful strategic tools in any organization’s arsenal.
The problem with Soft Trends is that many leaders are too busy reacting to actually take advantage of them. By the time business leaders feel certain of what the future will hold, the window of opportunity has already closed.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. By building an Anticipatory Organization that incorporates Soft Trends into your business strategy, you can spot what’s coming next and shape how it plays out. This gives you a significant edge in a highly competitive world.
Defining Soft Trends
When thinking about the future, most people ask, “What’s going to happen?” But that’s the wrong question. A better question is: What can we influence to create a better outcome?
That’s where Soft Trends come in.
Unlike Hard Trends, which are future certainties, Soft Trends are future possibilities shaped by our choices and actions.
For example, rising interest in remote work is a Soft Trend. While it’s clearly gaining momentum, how far it goes, how it evolves, and how it impacts your business are all still up to you. That’s the opportunity.
Soft Trends are powerful because they offer something rare in business: control.
Rather than passively responding to disruption, organizations can use Soft Trends to proactively influence the direction of change—becoming the positive disruptor in their industry. You can use them to launch new products, shape consumer expectations, create new categories, or even set new industry standards.
How Do Soft Trends Fit into a Business Strategy?
Most business strategies today are built around reacting to disruption – being agile and adapting quickly. While agility is important, it’s no longer enough to maintain competitive advantage. Waiting to react puts you in the back seat when what you really want is to be in the driver’s seat, leading the charge on new innovations.
Here is where an Anticipatory Mindset completely shifts the playing field. It teaches business leaders to go beyond agility and instead anticipate disruption before it occurs – turning uncertainty into opportunity.
At the heart of this approach is learning to identify and act on Soft Trends – the future possibilities you can shape. When you build Soft Trends into your business strategy, you move from being reactive to being anticipatory, proactively influencing the future of your organization and your industry.
Soft Trends give businesses the chance to:
- Innovate Proactively – Instead of playing catch-up, you get ahead by acting on emerging possibilities before they become mainstream.
- Pre-Solve Problems – Soft Trends reveal vulnerabilities and potential obstacles before they become crises.
- Differentiate Between Noise and True Transformation – Soft Trends help you identify which shifts have real momentum and which are just passing fads.
When Soft Trends are identified early and embedded into your planning:
- You unlock new revenue streams ahead of competitors
- You shape customer expectations, rather than merely meeting them
- You position your brand as a thought leader, not a follower
Recognizing what’s possible—as well as choosing to act on it— allows business leaders to stop reacting to the future and start building it instead. Now that is the true power of Soft Trends.
Soft Trend Example: A Work Culture Evolution with Remote Work
When in-person work was disrupted, remote work shifted from an optional perk to an operational necessity. Organizations quickly adopted digital collaboration tools, restructured workflows, and discovered that employees could remain productive—and even thrive—outside traditional office spaces.
But as circumstances evolved, a new debate emerged: Should we return to the office, stay remote, or adopt a hybrid approach? Many leaders assumed bringing everyone back would improve productivity and strengthen company culture. However, employees didn’t always share that view.
This is where remote work became a Soft Trend. It’s not a fixed outcome but a flexible, shapeable future influenced by leadership choices, employee expectations, and evolving technology.
For example, Spotify recognized this Soft Trend early on by launching its “Work From Anywhere” policy. Instead of mandating a return to the office, they empowered employees to choose their ideal environment. The result was higher employee satisfaction and reduced turnover.
Opportunities to act on:
- Build a culture of trust, not control
- Leverage virtual collaboration platforms beyond video calls
- Redefine leadership for hybrid and remote environments
The future of work isn’t about location. It’s about connection, autonomy, and outcomes.
Stop Waiting—Start Leading
Merely identifying Soft Trends and saying “I knew that was going to happen” is not enough to remain competitive. Business leaders need to act strategically while these trends are still emerging, influencing the outcome instead of waiting for certainty.
It’s not about a wait-and-see mindset. It’s about a shape-and-lead mindset.
By shifting from a reactionary organization to an Anticipatory Organization that understands the value of Soft Trends, businesses are more equipped to become positive disruptors in their industry. This is how real, sustainable competitive advantage is created.
Stop reacting and start leading the future. Learn how to transform your business into an Anticipatory Organization.
