This week I was in 4BC’s Brisbane studio with Clare Blake as we attempted to look at things that were happening now that might end up being tomorrows’ big trend or fad. I say tried, because we did get to things like nose to tail dining; last weeks New York Fashion weeks big trend.

When signals like Tomorrow’s next big thing Chinese take away in 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 Tomorrow’s next big thing Chinese take away in 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.