Published in Thrive Global – October 13th, 2020

Today leaders are going through the most challenging global initiations, in a world of complexity that’s been described as a whitewater world. Like a kayaker, a leader must navigate the currents of uncertainty. What lies ahead is unknown and unpredictable. Nothing in a whitewater world (people, culture, company, industry) stays the same. It’s a dynamic environment. Everything is interconnected and constantly changing.

In a whitewater world, we don’t know what problems to solve until they’re upon us. It calls on our imagination to “design for emergence.”

Today we need to embody the heart and spirit of an entrepreneur to reimagine what’s possible and create a new normal to meet a new world. That’s what entrepreneurs do – envision what’s possible; design for what’s emerging; execute on their ideas to make it a reality. They set the trends other companies follow. In the past, an entrepreneurial approach was a competitive advantage. Today, it may just be a survival skill. It’s why the most successful are never satisfied with what they know and always looking for that extra edge.