As Dave Matthews sings in the song ‘Madman’s eyes’, ‘Can’t hear what you’re saying when everybody else is screaming’ (which is a thinly veiled commentary of the Presidency of Donald Trump …) these days it’s tough to make sense of things these days.
- AI is a threat v AI is a saviour
- Remote work is here to stay v. Remote work is a passing phase
- Culture eats Strategy, or Strategy eats Culture
McKinsey published this article earlier in the year that outlines what CEOs are prioritising and taking action against.
- The rise of disruptive digital technologies
- Risk of prolonged inflation
- Escalation of geopolitical risks
- War for talent
- Shifts in the way we work
- Increased importance of climate change
- Supply chain disruptions
- Higher expectation of social purpose
- Persistence of gender and racial gap
- Emergence of blockchain and Web 3.0
These skew toward large, global, publicly-traded companies, which is important to recognise. But I feel that the total picture is telling, and is probably the way to view this research.
Here’s where the ‘noise’ comes into play.
Unless you have a well-formed view on what is happening around you, it is extremely easy to develop CEO blindspots. These are particularly damaging because they will play out regardless and a non-response might have hugely adverse effects on your business.
But here’s the fun part: forming an accurate worldview is an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience. It grows way more than merely your business acumen. A worldview is an effective tool, essentially: a decision shaper that allows you more surety in your actions that allows you to destress your nervous system and gives you a good night’s sleep. It’s also a fascinating topic with which to engage your senior leaders – to stretch them, to teach them, to provoke them, to expand them.
The noise will only increase. Quieten it down by knowing more than the noise-makers.