Within John Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, one principle Is “The Law of Navigation = Anyone Can Steer the Ship, but It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course.” One reflection question for leads on this topic is “I spot problems, obstacles, and trends that will impact the outcome of initiatives the organization puts into place. This idea is echoed in the quote from LeRoy Eims, “A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others do.”
How does a leader improve her ability to see trends and opportunities? Here is a list of areas and sources to expose yourself to. These sources will make you aware of a range of trends. (Note that this list leans towards a United States viewpoint.
- Healthcare Costs
- AI Chat Prompt: “What weak signals in my industry might others be dismissing that could become significant trends?”
- Podcasts that do a “Deep Dive.”
- Artificial Intelligence
- Which countries have interesting projects in your area?
- Affordability
- Immigration
- AI Chat Prompt: “What questions should I be asking about [industry/market] that most leaders aren’t asking yet?”
- Energy Sources, Prices, and Impact
- Networking with other Professionals
- Job Market Evolution
- AI Chat Prompt: “What are the leading indicators I should track in [domain] to see changes before they’re obvious?”
- Grab a magazine from a field you never explored.
- Social Media
If you would like ideas specific to your area of work, please contact me at casper.reaves@gmail.com.
References
Jared Bernstein, Ryan Cummings, Neale Mahoney, Erika McEntarfer (January, 2026) “The U.S. economy in 2026: What to watch for.” Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/policy-brief/us-economy-2026-what-watch
John Maxwell, (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: follow them and people will follow you (10th anniversary ed.). Thomas Nelson.
Chat Prompts suggested by Claude.ai