Fit For The Future

The future of leadership is about navigating complexity with clarity and purpose. As technology reshapes industries and societal expectations evolve, leaders must foster human connection, champion transparency, and embrace adaptability. Success will come to those who prioritise learning, sustainability, and collaboration, creating workplaces where people thrive. In a time of uncertainty and rapid change, future-ready leaders will be those who inspire trust, foster innovation, and thrive in change.https://swiy.co/go-10-trends-2025Human-Machine Collaboration: Leaders must foster environments where technology amplifies human strengths, so AI serves as a trusted partner, working alongside humans for greater productivity and innovation.Sustainability: Customers and employees prioritise businesses that value sustainability, and leaders who authentically embrace sustainability initiatives will be rewarded, while those who don’t will be penalised.Cybersecurity: As cyber threats escalate, leaders across all areas and

The world is changing faster than ever, and we need teams to be embracing change. But many people are slow to change, reluctant to change, or resistant to change. If that's true for your team, maybe YOU are the problem! Many leaders unintentionally say and do things that create a change-resistant culture. Recognise these words and actions, and replace them with a new mindset and behaviour that encourages change and adaptability.https://swiy.co/go-maybe-youre-the-problemAre you, as a leader, getting in the way of making progress for your team and maybe even for your organisation? You might be doing it unintentionally, but it still stops and slows down change.In a recent online presentation about the future of AI, I asked people to share their biggest questions and challenges about AI. Some were about the future of AI and what’s ahead, but by far the biggest obstacle that many people are facing is slow adoption of AI at work.They said things like:“We’re blocked from using AI.”“I feel like I’m the only one who’s

Do you feel like you're only person championing AI in your organisation? It can feel like an uphill battle, especially when you face restrictive policies and scepticism. The key is to respect existing boundaries but still find ways to use - and demonstrate - AI to create value through small, safe projects. Lead by example to inspire curiosity, build trust, and create a ripple effect.https://swiy.co/go-flying-the-ai-flagDo you sometimes feel like you’re the only person in your team - and maybe even your organisation - flying the flag for AI? It’s not easy, especially if others are not interested, actively pushing back, or even banning it.This is one of the most common responses when I ask people about the biggest challenges they have with AI right now. They say things like:“I love using it and there is lots we could do with it. But our organisation is just slow to catch on to new technologies.”“Fear, lack of trust and lack of education make AI an uncomfortable space…. It’s like you are doing something wrong!”“

At what level are you using AI, and what’s your plan for using it next year and beyond?Whenever I deliver my Leveraging AI keynote presentation at a conference, I always include an extra “hands-on” AI masterclass afterwards - run over Zoom within three months of the conference. The keynote gives them the big picture, and the masterclass shows them how to get immediate value from AI - whatever their role and familiarity with AI.I always start these masterclasses by asking participants to rate - on a scale of 1 to 10 - how much they are using AI. Typically, the average is in the 4-6 range, with a few below or above those middle numbers.When we dig a bit deeper, I find the main reason they don’t have a higher score is something like:“I just don’t know how else to use it.”That’s a reasonable response, especially for something as new as AI.If you’re wondering the same thing, here’s a useful framework. Think of people in your team using AI at four levels: personal, professional, projects, and platform.Level 1: Pers

Imagine giving every customer and employee the personal touch, even at scale. By analysing behaviours and preferences, AI lets you tailor experiences for customer journeys, learning paths, or timely interventions to re-engage people.https://swiy.co/go-the-human-touch-amplifiedFor example, all four baristas at my local cafe know exactly what coffee I want because I’m a regular, and they don’t need to ask every time. With a few dozen regular customers or even a few hundred, they can remember the regaulrs and treat them personally.But when you’re trying to scale that – with thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of customers – that’s not possible for humans to do just by themselves.That’s where AI comes in. AI lets you personalise at scale.For example, I regularly shop at Woolworths, and every week Woolies emails me my weekly specials. These are literally MY weekly specials because the email is crafted for me, based on my buying habits.It’s very different from the old days when everybody got the same

As a leader, you're no stranger to disruption! But what if disruption didn’t just happen to you? What if you could actually create it? Constructive disruption is about being proactive, not reactive - making change happen before the world forces it on you. Discover the three essential habits for embracing this mindset, so you’ll be better equipped to navigate uncertainty and turn disruption into opportunity.https://swiy.co/go-constructive-disruptionWould you like more disruption in your life? That might seem like a silly question, and you might be thinking you want less disruption, not more! But it depends on how you think about disruption.I was in Adelaide last week, speaking to an association of leaders from large organisations around Australia. Their event theme was "constructive disruption", which I love because it turns the common idea of disruption on its head.We often think of disruption as something that happens to us. But I often say disruption and innovation are the same thing: They are both about ch

AI is not just the latest tech trend; it's a fundamental shift in the way we work. As a leader, follow this three-step strategy for engaging with AI, integrating it into your workflows, and bringing your team on the journey.https://swiy.co/go-unlocking-ai-in-2025Do you know how you will be using AI in 2025?Last week, I delivered the closing keynote presentation for the Local Government Professionals Association of Western Australia. I was talking about leveraging AI, which of course is a popular topic right now.The presentation went well, and was well-received, but I want to highlight something that happened a few weeks earlier, as I was preparing for it.As usual, I had a briefing call with the client and other people in the program committee to discuss what they want from me and to ensure my presentation aligns with their theme.In the briefing call, I shared an example of some AI software I wanted to demonstrate at the conference. For this example, I used an example from one of the local government councils

You don’t need a futurist to tell you about all the external change happening in our world. And I’m sure you know that because of all this external change, you, your team, and your organisation also have to be open to change, embrace change, and even lead the change.But change isn’t easy, and different people respond differently.

Are you engaging your team in open and honest conversations about AI? There's no doubt AI is here to stay, and people have different opinions about it - from fear to excitement, and everywhere in between. Create a space for open conversations with your team about the the benefits, their concerns, and anything else. In this way, you're building a culture that's ready for change.https://swiy.co/go-more-ai-conversationsI was in beautiful Brisbane last week to deliver the closing keynote presentation for an allied healthcare group, Healthia.I was talking about the mix between people and technology, with my core message around “people first, technology second”. It was a pretty easy sell to Healthia because they’ve always made that part of their philosophy and mission. In fact, they’ve already started using AI in their organisation, rolling out tools that practitioners can use with their patients to improve clinical outcomes and make their work more efficient.It’s great to see a forward-thinking organisation on the

As a leader, you must focus on the right priorities as we move towards 2025. There are many internal issues - like flexible work, diversity, and AI - but the most important focus should be external - on your customers.https://swiy.co/go-future-focusAre you focusing on the right things when you’re thinking about your work and workplace in the year ahead?I was reflecting on three conversations I had with clients and audience members last week - one in the insurance sector, one in mining and resources, and the third in a large state government department. In all of those conversations, people asked me essentially the same question:What’s the most important thing we should be thinking about when planning for 2025?If you’ve been following me, you know I have many answers to that, including flexible work, more diversity to tackle complex problems, and of course AI. These ARE important, of course, but they are also all issues you’re facing internally.The one thing that trumps them all is to focus on your customer. T

Good leaders provide ongoing professional development to their team members, but you can go one step further: The BEST leaders empower their employees to lead their own development. Give them the resources and trust to pursue personal and professional growth, and you not only create better employees – you help them become better people.https://swiy.co/go-employee-led-developmentWhat are you doing to really engage the people in your team?Last week, I delivered a keynote presentation for one of my favourite clients. They have engaged me before, and this time, they asked me to deliver my “Fit for the Future” presentation to their employees. And the brief wasn’t about how to be fit for the future in the workplace, but for them as individuals to be fit for the future.It’s a great group of people, and I like working with this client. But this time, I enjoyed it even more - for two reasons.First, this company recognises the importance of having happy, contented, and satisfied employees, not only in their work but in

There's been a lot of news recently about leaders of large organisations in Australia forcing their teams to return to the traditional office full-time. But that's a sure-fire way to limit both your talent pool and your competitive advantage. The future of work is no longer confined by geography or the traditional nine-to-five model.https://swiy.co/go-teams-without-boundariesIf you're a leader, what do you think your future team will look like?I've seen a lot of headlines recently - and you might have seen them as well - from CEOs of large organisations around Australia insisting that all their people who were previously office-based must now come back to the office full-time.They acknowledge that during the pandemic, office workers had to work from home, and now many organisations have hybrid work or other flexible arrangements. But for these leaders, the message is clear: Their best and only way to collaborate and build their team culture is to have everybody working full-time in the office, five days a wee

To be a future-ready leader, it’s useful to foresee coming trends, changes, and challenges. But it’s just as important to bring your team along on the change journey. It’s not enough to predict the future; you also need to create an environment where your people are open, willing, and excited to innovate and adapt.https://swiy.co/go-leadership-2025I do a lot of work with leaders, teams, and organisations across many sectors – recently with primary school principals, people in the mining industry, healthcare leaders looking to embrace digital innovations, and people in the public sector.Everybody, of course, has their own journey, but they also share many common challenges and opportunities.As a futurist, I help them in two areas.First, as a leader, it’s useful to understand what’s coming up in the future – to see over the horizon and around the corner – so you can make better, more well-informed, decisions now.Second, and equally important, you need to bring your team along on that change journey. It’s one th

Imagine being able to turn your documents into engaging, podcast-like discussions. You can upload any text, from company reports to study notes, and in just a few clicks, it creates a realistic conversation between two AI personas discussing the content. It’s like having an instant expert breakdown of complex information, making it easier to digest.Let's talk about an amazing AI tool with a wide range of applications at work, home, in a classroom, and elsewhere.The idea starts with digital notebooks, which you might be using already for collecting information. We're talking about things like Evernote, Notion, the Notes app on iPhones, and OneNote in Microsoft products. These have been available for years, and recently most have enhanced it with AI - such as being able to summarise documents and even "chat" with them.Google's offering in this area, Google NotebookLM, is similar. As with the other tools, you upload documents into collections for easy organisation, searching, and those basic AI tools like chatti

As a leader, you’re responsible not only for managing now but also planning for the future. But it’s not always easy to find the time to look ahead. Scenario planning helps you navigate the uncertainties of the future with clarity and confidence. Youj can’t have certainty, but knowing what’s over the horizon helps you make better-informed decisions now.https://swiy.co/go-over-the-horizonOver the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of running my Future Scenarios program for two groups of leaders in large organisations. In the program, we spent time exploring the future so they can gain a better understanding of what’s around the corner and over the horizon. This allows them to take that insight back to their teams, integrating it into their planning and helping them navigate through that fast-changing and uncertain future.Now, obviously, they won’t have certainty about the future – nobody does! But they can act with more clarity and confidence, which helps them make better decisions now.I love facilitating t

When building AI capability in your workplace, you can find many ways for it to help you personally as a leader – in improving your decision-making, boosting productivity, and helping you lead more effectively. It’s equally important to help your team leverage AI – by sharing your knowledge, providing resources, and empowering them to harness it in their professional (and even personal) lives.https://swiy.co/go-ai-selfish-generousShould you be selfish or generous when it comes to using AI in your workplace? My answer might surprise you.I recently conducted my two-day Future Scenarios program for a group of 25 leaders from various departments in a large organisation. The goal was for them to build their strategic foresight, so they can anticipate changes, plan for them, and build a culture of change agents.At the start of all my programs, I say to the participants:“In this program, I want you to be selfish and generous.”I say selfish because I want them to focus on outcomes that will make a difference for them

Unfortunately, most of the media stories about AI are negative, and if that’s all somebody sees, it's not surprising they might be hesitant, reluctant, or even scared of using AI at work. And that's a problem for you if you're a leader who wants to use AI effectively in your teams. There's one key thing you can do to overcome this fear - and it doesn't take much.https://swiy.co/go-overcoming-fear-of-aiI’ve noticed a change in the last year in the attitude of leaders to AI. A year ago, many leaders were yet to be convinced about the value of AI. They were saying things like:“I’ll wait and see.”“I’m not quite sure what value it brings.”“I’ve got too many other things on my plate now.”It wasn’t true of everyone, of course. Many leaders and managers saw its potential and were keen to use it - but many didn’t. In fact, some of their team members were more excited and enthusiastic about it, and were trying to drag the rest of the team, including their boss, along into this AI future.But now I’ve noticed most leader

What decisions are you making with AI? It's a powerful tool for enhancing your decision-making process, leading to more informed, accurate, and effective outcomes. It’s not about AI replacing your human judgment but augmenting and informing it, so you can make better choices to shape your future.https://swiy.co/go-ai-better-decisionsWhat decisions are you making with AI? I don’t mean decisions about whether or not to use AI. Instead, think about how you’re using AI to improve and enhance your decision-making process.This is one of the three big areas where almost everyone can use AI to elevate their work:1. Boosting productivity2. Enhancing the customer or client experience3. Making better decisions, fasterI spoke recently at a conference for OpenText in Melbourne, where they invited many of their customers and wider network to share some important conversations about AI.OpenText is an IT company, highly tech-oriented, and they do a lot of work in AI. But I was so pleased to hear everybody talking about putti

How much should you integrate AI into your workplace? One company went too far, and faced a backlash from employees - and everybody else who heard the story. It's important to treat as a tool to help people. It must be about people first, technology second.https://swiy.co/go-human-or-machineHow much should you integrate AI into your workplace? AI is a powerful tool, but one company went too far with it.The company – a sofware company called Lattice – decided to embrace AI (good!) in their work. But they went too far and announced they were creating “digital employees” (bad!). These AI-based “employees” would have managers, performance metrics, a place in the organisational chart, and so on.You might see where this is heading ... !Predictably, there was a backlash from employees. They were upset, not because AI was being elevated to the same level as humans, but because people might end up being treated like AI – just a “resource” to be plugged in, pushed around, and valued only for their productivity output.F

In today's fast-paced world, you can't just keep pushing your team to change unless you create the space for them to adapt, change, and innovate. Unless you do this, even the people who want to change will get frustrated that they keep bumping into obstacles.https://swiy.co/go-create-space-for-changeI’ve been doing a lot of work with leaders recently about building their AI capability because, of course, many leaders and teams recognise AI is an important change they need to embrace. Of course, AI is not the only big change now, and many other external changes are affecting everybody - in their professional and personal lives.You might want your team to change - and change faster - but you might be making it difficult for them. If you don’t create the space for your people to change, it’s very difficult for them.It’s like them running as fast as they can in a narrow tunnel, and you’re yelling at them to change direction, but they can’t. Even if they want to, they don’t have the space to change.How do you crea