Introducing: 2030 Leadership

If you’ve designed your own dream job and you’re still professionally unhappy, then maybe it’s time you change the dream.

At least, that’s what I decided to do last spring. I’d been one of the lucky ones: an entrepreneur whose work picked up at the height of COVID lockdown, whose business enjoyed a stronger 2020 than 2019, and whose time was spent producing the sort of creative projects he found most fulfilling–one of which, for a time, was this very Linkedin newsletter.??

But, like so many millions of people, the pandemic changed me. And in May 2021, I simply stopped working on the business I’d built for nearly four years.?

While I couldn’t quite explain the logic of what I was doing–why I was taking a risk, why I was making such a significant change–I could explain the feelings motivating my choice. I began my career in startups, those insurgent organizations designed to ‘move fast and break things’ and disrupt incumbents; however, as we entered the second year of the pandemic, I’d spent the better part of a decade working with innovation and technology teams at some of the world’s largest corporations.

So, where could I provide more value–working with David, or working with Goliath??

Trust in both our public and private institutions is remarkably low–as of February 2022, public approval of the U.S. Congress stands at a depressing 20%, while 42% of Americans are ‘very dissatisfied’ with the ‘size and influence’ of major corporations–and yet, despite the hundreds of well-financed startups that often make headlines, there are fewer small businesses and early-stage companies in the United States right now than at any time since the late 1970’s. In fact, the majority of Americans work at legacy firms.?

And so, after nearly a year spent writing, researching, and in conversation with a variety of business and policy leaders all over the world, I am convinced that the choice is not either startups and legacy institutions, but rather, fostering collaborations between them.

Furthermore, this sort of work requires more than a unique innovation strategy, and more than the adoption of a new technology.?

It requires leadership.

When I was introduced to Jim Snabe and Mikael Trolle’s book ‘Dreams and Details’ in the fall of 2020, I was inspired by their leadership model, and by the consulting group borne of this model, Idonea. I was also inspired to learn that their work came as a consequence of lived experience, with Jim having served as the CEO of SAP, the Chairman of Maersk, and now as the Chairman of Siemens (see his wildly inspiring TED Talk here), while Mikael was the head coach of the Danish men’s national volleyball team and the CEO of Volleyball Denmark. In 2021, I was additionally introduced to Jesper Lok, the former CEO of DSB (the Danish railroad service) and now the Chair of Dagrofa, and whose work with boards has greatly expanded the reach and potential of Idonea.?

In an age of interconnected, compiling challenges, from the climate crisis, to mass automation, to sustaining liberal democracy, a new way of approaching global cooperation and organizational leadership is essential.?

To that end, this past January, I began working as the Managing Director of Idonea U.S.?

Since joining the team, we have been busy engaging clients stateside and preparing for our first-ever summit. This newsletter, which provided me a chance to voice my thoughts, fears and satirical observations in the depths of the first COVID surge, but which has been dormant since December 2020, will now be a place to explore many of the ideas driving our business.

What sort of premium, if any, does the innovation ecosystem place on leadership? What is the difference between being led and being managed? And can one of the most challenging relationships in business and society–the relationship between startups and legacy institutions–be turned into something collaborative, and mutually beneficial?

I hope that you come on this journey with me. Each week, I will publish a new article, while twice a month I will share video interviews, alongside my co-host Shai Tamary, featuring visionary leaders from the world of startups, corporates and government.?

Midway through the first digital revolution, and with only eight years remaining until we reach the massively important 2030 deadline – the year by which we aim to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and cut global greenhouse gas emissions by half – time is of the essence. But with the right blueprint, it is possible to reinvent global leadership and meet our moment. This is what we offer our clients at Idonea, and it’s what I’m eager to share with this newsletter:?

Not definitive answers to the world’s challenges, but a way of seeing these challenges anew.?

Not a language for diagnosing problems, but a language for building solutions.?

Not further conversation about the difficulties of being a leader in complicated times, but a recognition that there has never been a more exciting time to lead.

Thank you. And I look forward to speaking with you all next week.

Do you enjoy what you’re reading? Well, you’re in luck! On May 5th and 6th, Idonea is hosting our first-ever ‘Dreams and Details’ summit. You can attend this virtual event from anywhere in the world. Just sign up via the link below. Registration is free, but the spots are limited. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e5WPb8_3?

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