Capture the zeitgeist
A study carried out 20 years ago on the most successful business leaders highlighted the importance of contextual intelligence, i.e. the ability to capture the spirit of the times and seize the resulting opportunities.
How do things stand now? Zeitgeist is the result of world events, actions taken by states, the relationship to work, demography, social practices and the technological environment. And these are all areas that are in total turmoil.
What should you be attentive to from now on?
- The role of public opinion and politics: Disney was accused of failing to take a stand against highly controversial legislation in Florida. But what’s the connection between this new law and an amusement park? Disney can’t ignore its social responsibility any longer.
- Crisis management: whereas crises were episodic in the past, now they have become increasingly frequent. They require in-house skills rather than occasionally calling on specialized firms.
- Trends that are already here but that are growing in size: using social networks responsibly, meeting employees’ requests for a sense of purpose, taking all stakeholders – and not just shareholders – into account, and carrying on with the digital transformation.
You can see that there’s still much left for you to do!
To go further
“As the world shifts, so should leaders”
by Nitin Nohria (Harvard Business Review, July-August 2022).
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