In our recent Next Big Thing Executive Forum, leaders across multiple sectors joined us to explore the cross-cutting meta-trends shaping our world in 2025. These meta-trends are those consistent in industries and sectors from agriculture to supply chain logistics, and consumer goods to philanthropy. As organizations face mounting challenges (and opportunities), understanding these trends among trends provides a critical advantage in strategic planning and leadership.
Below, I share just four of our ten identified meta-trends. For a complete exploration of all trends and their implications for your organization, reach out to me to schedule an encore presentation with your leadership team.
Meta Trend #1 – Speed: The Acceleration of Everything
The defining characteristic of our times isn’t just change—it’s the acceleration of everything. According to Accenture, the rate of change in business has accelerated by 183% since 2019, with a 33% increase in the last year alone.
We’re now doubling human knowledge at a pace that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. This isn’t merely about technology advancing—it’s about our fundamental relationship with time and expectations.
Organizations that thrive must have teams and leaders in a perpetual state of agility and preparedness for change.
Meta Trend #2 – Disruption and Instability
The nature of disruption has fundamentally shifted:
- From occasional to constant
- From happenstance to intentional
- From limited to widespread
Even traditionally stable institutions are now sources of daily shock waves. It’s telling that 77% of CEOs worry they lack the in-house creativity needed to face future disruptions.
Success will increasingly depend on creating cultures where every employee—not just innovation teams—can test and experiment with new ideas.
Meta Trend #3 – Nostalgia: The Counter-Current
As speed and disruption accelerate, we’re witnessing a powerful counter-trend: collective nostalgia and a yearning for familiarity and simplicity. This manifests across multiple dimensions:
- The revival of vintage products and analog experiences
- Return-to-office mandates and command-and-control leadership styles
- A desire for reliability and simplicity over “smart everything”
This tension between acceleration and nostalgia creates unique challenges for organizations trying to both innovate and maintain cultural cohesion.
Meta Trend #4 – AI: Embedded, Agentic and Ubiquitous
AI has evolved from a standalone technology to become embedded, agentic (acting independently), and ubiquitous in our daily lives and work. The AI market has grown to nearly $200 billion, with The Conference Board reporting that 100% of CEOs expect to have an AI strategy this year.
We’re experiencing a profound shift from AI as a tool to AI as a teammate. It increasingly anticipates our needs rather than merely responding to queries, with the lines between human and machine intelligence becoming increasingly blurred yet complementary.
There’s More to Explore
The six additional meta-trends we identified have equally significant implications for organizations across sectors. From the “Missing Middle” to “Extreme Leadership,” these trends interact in complex ways that create both challenges and opportunities.
Our complete analysis provides deeper insights and specific strategies for navigating these converging forces.
Moving from Chaos to Strategic Response
In times when everything feels urgent, leadership requires discernment—the ability to judge what truly demands attention and energy versus what can wait.
As I shared in our forum: “The pace and volume of change will never again be as slow or small as it is today.” Organizations that make time for strategic thinking despite the chaos will emerge stronger. Access our complimentary Strategic Response Kit here, with practical resources to help your organization move from reactivity to intentional action in uncertain times.
Schedule Your Encore Presentation
Want to explore all ten meta-trends and their specific implications for your organization? Schedule an encore presentation for your leadership team, board, or department.
The Next Big Thing Executive Forum | March 26th 11am ET
Middle Manager Burnout Threatens Your 2025 Stability
Your organization’s vital connective tissue is breaking. Middle managers are quitting, burning out, or collapsing under pressure as companies cut management layers while demanding more execution.
Why it matters: This exodus strips away institutional knowledge and leadership capacity precisely when market volatility and economic uncertainty demand stability.
Our March forum tackles this crisis head-on with practical solutions. You’ll learn:
- Warning signs: Detect management collapse before it’s too late
- Common pitfalls: Why conventional approaches make burnout worse
- Actionable alternatives: Proven interventions that work in volatile environments
👉 The bottom line: Waiting costs more than good people—it costs organizational stability when external conditions demand it most.
