Sensing Through Fogs of Uncertainty

Becoming Visionary Means Looking Past the Data, Past What We Know

Bruce Cuthbertson and Philip Rowley discuss the challenge of chief executives stuck in an uncertain realm between running day-to-day operations of their companies and reshaping their organizations in the face of increasingly seismic and unpredictable changes in their industries.

The world is accelerating.

We used to think we understood the order of things, the way that industries work, why our companies succeed, what our customers want and most importantly, what’s likely to happen next in our markets.

But the world is increasingly unpredictable and unknown to us.

The acceleration is rapid and the changes are many, from global political uncertainties and international regulatory concerns to disruptive business models being introduced by newer and newer competitors into once stable industries and markets. The adoption rate of technology is increasing, which means new innovations are being adopted more quickly and product lifecycles are shrinking.