How do we govern today for futures we cannot predict? The Case for Anticipatory Governance I have been interested in the work of the Long Now Foundation for some time. Visiting The Interval in San Francisco, and standing next to a prototype of the Clock of the Long Now, brought me back to a deceptively …
Read more “Towards Anticipatory Governance: how fast and slow layers shape decisions”
Since I started using AI, I have asked myself a question that I find both fascinating and unsettling: could regular use of these tools gradually erode some of our most essential cognitive capacities? And if so, what does that mean for board deliberation, where the quality of collective judgment depends entirely on each director thinking …
Most strategy problems are actually foresight problems.Not because we can’t analyse—but because we keep mixing now, next, and later. That timeline blur is why decisions loop, agendas overflow, and “alignment” stays fragile. That is why the Three Horizons framework has become one of the most practical foresight tools for leaders and boards because it restores temporal clarity—the starting point of good governance. What …
Read more “Three Horizons Framework: a Foresight Tool for Strategy and Governance”
There is a difference between being realistic and letting risk run the whole conversation. Right now, many future narratives blur that line. We talk—often correctly—about what could go wrong: AI disruption, climate instability, institutional fragility, job displacement. The risks are real, and ignoring them would be irresponsible. And yet, when risk becomes the only frame, …
Read more “The Image of the Future: Why Social Imagination Shapes What We Build”
As companies face faster, deeper, and more interconnected disruptions, many are turning to strategic foresight to prepare for multiple futures. But in most organizations, this powerful capability remains confined to a small group: the board, the strategy office, or an elite innovation team. To unlock foresight’s full potential, companies must learn to cascade it. That means moving from …
Over the past two decades, corporate governance has followed a path of consolidation. In the aftermath of each crisis (Enron, Lehman Brothers, Wirecard), new regulations brought greater demands for transparency, independence, and risk management. The discourse around value creation broadened to include stakeholders, not just shareholders. ESG entered the common language. Technology began to permeate …
Read more “Imagining the Future of Governance: Trends and Insights”
Leading Through Complexity: New Models for a New Era What the best leaders are doing differently when the rules keep changing For much of the 20th century, leadership was about control. Strategy meant prediction. Decision-making followed logic. Expertise was the answer. But the challenges of the 21st century have rewritten the landscape. Today’s leaders are …
Read more “How to Navigate Complexity in Today’s Global Landscape”
In an era defined by complexity, volatility and accelerated change, anticipation is no longer a luxury. It is the defining capability of modern leadership. While traditional models reward reaction and control, the leaders who will shape the next decade are those who can anticipate — not just what’s coming, but what could come, and what should come. Anticipation: More …
Read more “Anticipation: the Defining Skill for the Future of Leadership”
—and why it matters more now than ever I still remember the kind of board meeting that looks perfectly normal from the outside. A full agenda. A polished deck. “Clear” recommendations. The familiar comfort of numbers that appear to tell a story. And yet, inside the room, something didn’t add up—not because the analysis was …