Leadership for an Emergent and Accelerating Future

I have for many years had an interest in leadership and what makes it effective or not.

I have a leaning towards the future rather than the past.

Put these two things alongside an era where technology is moving at an ever-increasing speed and the time felt right to make some sense of what might be important for current and future leaders to consider.

Note: My natural frame of reference is educational leadership, but having also been a business leader for 20 years, I hope these insights resonate with leaders across various fields.

“The future is already here — it’s just not evenly distributed.” William Gibson

The above quote by William Gibson is one of a number of reasons why I’ve chosen to use the words ‘emergent’ and ‘accelerating’ in relation to the future. I do believe we can influence the future we want by taking notice of what’s emerging and nudging it in a preferred direction. As I mentioned earlier this period of AI’s growth and impact is happening at a rate I’ve never seen before with technology, and I do think the impact will only increase in speed.

What This Means for Leadership Development

The risk in education is that ‘Futures’ and other buzzwords get thrown around, yet little actually changes in practice. Current times demand that true leadership in an emergent and accelerating future requires action, not just rhetoric.

I remember doing a one-off workshop for school leaders called “Leading the Futures of Education” about 4 years ago. We had a reasonable number of school leaders but not as many as I expected to be interested in influencing the possible futures of education. I have realised that I am a ‘weirdo’ (thanks Michael Doneman for the positive claiming of the phrase), and am therefore too edgy for many, particularly but not limited to, education leaders.

My recent research and writing for my book “Becoming HumAIn: A Path to Flourishing Together”, led me to explore these and many other elements from a personal and professional perspective, which will form a number of posts over the coming weeks to help bring actionable insight and stimulate curiosity as widely as possible.

Do reach out if you want a free copy of “Becoming HumAIn: A Path to Flourishing Together”, e-book or audiobook – brief overview below:

“In an age where artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming our world, Becoming HumAIn offers a roadmap for blending the strengths of humans and AI to create a more compassionate, innovative, and equitable future. Through reflective insights, collaborative dialogues, and actionable tools, Nick guides readers on a journey to embrace this ever-changing landscape while flourishing as individuals and societies.

Start your journey to shape a world where humans and AI flourish—together.”

Coming Next… Practical Leadership Tools

In my next post I will unpack some practical tools that leaders in any environment could use, and in my view should form part of any leadership training, such as “Now, Next and Never” using scanning and other analysis models.

As always, interested to hear from others!