There’s no sugar-coating this anymore. If you want your organization to survive, you’re going to have to learn how to predict the future.

So say the folks at CPA Trendlines, who have released the results of a recent study that identified the top personality traits that the most successful CPAs share. Almost 400 accountants took part in the survey, and 80 percent of them were managing partners, owners, or CEOs.

Topping the list was decisiveness. Problem-solving was a close second.

Coming in third? Anticipation.

“Anticipation skills help accountants make better decisions,” writes Jitendra Patil for CPA Trendlines. “Abilities in decision-making and problem-solving strengthen the accountant’s ability to anticipate the future. The better the anticipation, the better the decision-making and the better the readiness to solve anticipated problems. The better the readiness to solve problems, the faster and more effective the decisions and actions when problems arise. Anticipating the future is like the doctor’s diagnosis. It is based on education, prior knowledge, experience, and practice.”

In other words, predicting the future — identifying future trends and positioning our organizations to take advantage of those trends before they happen — is more important than ever.

We’ve been preaching that gospel for a while now, but it’s nice to see other folks embracing this simple truth: You can predict the future. It’s there for all of us to see, if we take the time to look. And it’s a skill that can be learned.

We’ll teach you how, if you want to learn.

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