Is Anticipation the Missing Ingredient from your Success?
The Value of Anticipation in Business
One of the most overlooked forces in business is anticipation. We tend to focus on what’s happening right now—the challenges, the goals, the to-do lists—but some of the greatest energy in business comes not from the present moment, but from what’s ahead. Anticipation is more than wishful thinking; it’s a strategic posture that drives motivation, shapes culture, and breathes life into both leaders and teams. It’s closely tied to hope, but it emphasizes the forward pull of expectation.
You may have noticed the difference in yourself simply by planning an event you are looking forward to. It’s the anticipation that shapes your mindset, attitude and outlook. For this reason, I try to schedule something I am looking forward to often as a part of my routine. For me, seeing pickleball on my schedule spurs me on, makes me productive in the office so I can enjoy that event.
Ingredients to Motivation
When there’s something worth looking forward to—a new product launch, a growth milestone, or even the next season of opportunity—work takes on greater meaning. Daily tasks stop feeling like drudgery because they are linked to a larger picture. Anticipation provides the “why” behind the work, giving people the endurance to keep going even when the path feels long.
Anticipation Builds
Momentum in business rarely comes from the status quo. It comes when leaders cast a vision for what’s ahead and invite others into the journey. When teams anticipate the future together, they share a sense of urgency and energy. A countdown to launch, a strategic growth goal, or even an upcoming celebration creates forward movement that aligns people and keeps them focused. Anticipation is the spark that turns vision into momentum. It inspires teams, engages customers, and fuels leaders with the excitement of what’s ahead.
It’s not just teams that benefit from anticipation—customers do too. Some of the most successful companies in the world are masters at building anticipation. Think of how a teaser campaign, a waitlist, or a product reveal stirs excitement. By inviting customers to look forward to something, businesses increase perceived value and deepen engagement long before the product or service arrives.
Anticipation Sustains
Anticipation aligns with biblical hope. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Anticipation keeps the heart alive, both in faith and in business. It’s the joy of looking forward that sustains us through challenges until fulfillment comes.
Anticipation is the heartbeat of hope. For business leaders who walk by faith, anticipation is not blind optimism—it’s the confident expectation that God is at work, even before results appear. Romans 8:25 says: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” This kind of anticipation allows us to trust God’s timing while still pressing forward with vision and purpose.
Living and Leading
The healthiest businesses are those that keep anticipation alive. Leaders who consistently point toward the future create organizations where people are energized instead of stagnant, engaged instead of drifting. The practice of anticipation doesn’t just build better companies—it develops resilient, faith-driven leaders who inspire others to believe in what’s coming next.
So ask yourself: What are you anticipating in this next season? Don’t just manage the present. Lead with expectation and let the power of anticipation fuel your journey forward.