The new economic normal, 3 Australian state elections, peek a boo panels in women’s fashion, 364,997 new Australians added to our population and super-foods freekah and teff were just some of the 2014 trends I chatted about with Kate O’Toole of ABC Local radio national in our loo.

When signals like Fast Forward through 2014 emerge, organisations that engage early have the advantage of choosing their response rather than reacting to events. That gap between those who prepared and those who did not is where competitive positioning is actually made or lost.

The most important question is not whether Fast Forward through 2014 will matter, but how quickly it will matter in your specific context. Leaders benefit most from mapping the ripple effects early — not just the direct impact but the second and third-order consequences that arrive later and hit harder. That is the practical work of foresight.