Failing to plan is planning to fail. It's a cliche that's twice as annoying because it's usually true, which is to say that even if firms can't predict exactly what the future will look like (innovation might be your robot overlord's problem by then) there are still some pretty significant guideposts on the horizon that hint at the shape of things to come. Whether it's embracing automation or cow-towing to those gosh-darn millennials, here are a few things that firms can start doing now to stay competitive well into the machine uprising. Editor's Note: If you can't see the above slideshow, you may need to turn off your browser's ad blocker.