Decoding Flow & High Performance at the 2023 World Government Summit

The World Governments Summit is an annual event held in Dubai that brings together world leaders, policy-makers, and experts to discuss some of the most pressing challenges facing governments around the world - and it was truly an honour to attend the ‘decade’ edition of the Summit this year, under the slogan “Shaping Future Governments”.

10,000 international government officials, thought leaders, global experts and decision makers in attendance (I somehow, but very gratefully, made the cut).

20 Country Presidents.

250 Government Ministers.

80 Signed Bilateral Agreements.

Specific discussion tracks around future of education, global data, global unicorns, SDGs, climate tech, women in government, food systems transformation, future of work, government services innovation, future by design, and one of my favourites on accelerating moonshots.

And of course, wonderful to see people I hadn’t seen for nearly 20 years, including someone who was part of the client team for my first ever consulting project nearly 20 years back!

Ideas, conversations, provocations galore!

SOOO much happened that its impossible to summarise in a single post, but let me give it a shot and share some of my top curated highlights & insights … and while it may not appear to be my typical post on flow & high performance, just be patient until you have read it all, especially as its a long one :)

Mohammed Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Governments Summit , opened the summit with a reflection on the dramatic changes that have occurred since the event was first held 10 years ago. He emphasized the increased demands on governments to be agile and warned of the consequences for those unable to transform.

Klaus Schwab , founder of the World Economic Forum , noted that the world is transitioning from a single superpower hegemony to a "patchwork of a multipower world … with aspiring superpowers like India, but also rogue states - and companies who have become global powers"

We saw a glimpse of a ‘flying future’, with Roads and Transport Authority flying taxis on display … with Dubai saying they’ll be in the skies in less than 3 years.

Popstar will.i.am emphasized the need for people of color in the AI industry to combat existing algorithm biases.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi spoke of the immense challenges he faced to bring stability to Egypt in the past decade —?and the way forward for the Arab world's most populous nation.

The Director General of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) highlighted the need for quick solutions as the infrastructure required for renewable energy will take decades to develop.

Member states were urged to expedite humanitarian aid to crisis-stricken countries to hasten their recovery, and how failure there could exacerbate climate issues.

Dr Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares , engaged passionately like he always does,!) around how lessons from the world of education transformation, can inspire change in food systems, moving from silo approaches to nexus ones, and how the upcoming climate-focused RewirEd Summit 2.0 Summit at COP28 UAE , provides a first-ever opportunity to build a stronger bridge between education and climate change efforts.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber , the President-Designate of COP28 UAE , emphasized the need for a "major course correction" to effectively combat climate change and stressed the significance of significant cross-sectoral engagement to be able to achieve, or even come close to achieving, the 1.5 degree and other related goals.

Fadi Ghandour was part of a lively debate on the regulations needed for the gig economy to thrive.

David Moinina Sengeh , Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education in Africa, was awarded the 'Best Minister in the World' prize for his efforts in providing digital tools to schools in the region. From my work on the RewirEd global summit, I can vouch for the impact he has had on the education sector in such a short span of time.

There was a healthy debate around what’s needed to kickstart the edtech ecosystem in the MENA region (with Dr. Ahmad Belhoul UAE Minister of Education seated in the front row) and how government support (through subsidies of some form) is needed to ‘safe’ up the edtech venture plays, considering the long gestation periods for showing a investor friendly return. I know the ReimaginED Collective is working hard to build a regional edtech ecosystem, so worth watching this space.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated that short-term policy making will not work and the world had to reinvigorate?multilateralism.

And then two fun dialogues to close the Summit …

One with Elon Musk around his massive focus to take Twitter out of the woods, confidence on non-existence of aliens from his SpaceX work, how he doesn't do 20 hour days anymore since Tesla is 'safe', the importance of responsible AI and the value of university education …

And the other with Ray Dalio , the world’s most successful hedge fund manager, referencing his recent book “Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail”, and how he hoped that military conflict can be avoided in the current phase of the cycle we’re in now. Long lines to get a personally signed copy by him thereafter!

And what did I find fascinating about all this when it comes to flow states? Well, as you may recall, flow states are characterized by a sense of deep engagement and effortless action, in which an individual is fully immersed in an activity, losing track of time and achieving a high level of productivity and creativity. While it may not be immediately apparent, there is a potential connection between flow states and the World Government Summit…

One of the evergreen key themes of the Summit is the exploration of new ideas and approaches to solving complex problems. This requires a high level of creativity and innovation, both of which are closely associated with flow states.

Research has shown that individuals are more likely to achieve a state of flow when they are engaged in activities that challenge their skills and abilities, while also providing clear feedback and a sense of control. The World Government Summit, with its diverse array of topics and speakers, provides a fertile ground for individuals to explore new ideas and engage with complex issues, potentially leading to a state of flow.

So, lots of flow state activities in play, whether participants were aware of it or not. Lots of positive energy. And of course, lots of good food.

All in all, lots of momentum to make real change happen that went beyond just words to actionable commitments. What I’d love to see, building on my personal mission, is to explore how these flow states could be harnessed more meaningfully in these powerful settings.

The quest continues!

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