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As a senior executive, you are no stranger to the relentless waves of change sweeping across North America. The onslaught of daily upheavals can feel overwhelming, making it tempting to believe that success hinges on reacting swiftly to each new development. But is this truly the most effective path forward? Is there a smarter, more strategic way to navigate the turbulence?

If these questions have crossed your mind, you are not alone.

For many leaders, it feels as though the world has downed a double shot of espresso. Major disruptions that once occurred sporadically now seem to arrive in rapid succession, sometimes multiple times in a single day. In the past, convening an emergency meeting may have provided some sense of control. However, this approach is no longer sustainable. Constant crisis management is an exhausting, reactive cycle that diverts energy from long-term strategic imperatives. Forward-thinking executives are realizing that a different approach is required—one that prioritizes a steady course over continual reaction.

The End of a Comfortable Status Quo

Canada has long enjoyed a privileged economic relationship with the United States, a stable partnership that many organizations assumed would remain unshaken. For decades, Canadian businesses could rely on predictable trade policies and seamless access to the U.S. market, much like cyclists drafting behind a peloton leader.

But today, that certainty has eroded. The political landscape in the United States has grown increasingly volatile, resembling a cantankerous relative prone to unpredictable outbursts. Just as you wouldn’t stake your business on the hope that an erratic family member will suddenly become reliable, Canadian firms can no longer afford to take U.S. stability for granted. Instead, they must develop contingency plans that mitigate risks and reduce dependence on a single, unpredictable partner.

This shift is causing ripples throughout the entire supply chain, affecting customers, suppliers, distributors, and regulators on a global scale. Many Canadian executives are realizing that simply reacting to daily shocks is not a viable strategy. The smarter move is to step back and reassess their long-term direction.

Lessons From the Chaos

More business leaders are awakening to some hard but valuable lessons. While these insights have always been available in theory, firsthand experience has proven to be the ultimate teacher.

Lesson #1: The pace of disruption is too fast for deep analysis of every crisis.

The sheer speed at which events unfold means there is little time for comprehensive assessments of each disruption. Many executives now recognize that this state of volatility is not a passing phase—it is likely to persist for years, regardless of political leadership changes.

Lesson #2: Few organizations engage in rigorous scenario planning.

Despite repeated warnings about potential disruptions—such as Trump’s supporters actively promoting Project 2025—many assumed these threats would never materialize. As a result, they failed to anticipate today’s challenges and are now scrambling to adapt.

Lesson #3: Structural changes require years of planning and execution.

Adjusting supply chains, diversifying markets, and securing alternative resources take far longer than many executives expect. Consider Tremcar, a Canadian manufacturer of tanker trailers. The company relies on aluminum imports from the U.S., but retaliatory tariffs could jeopardize its operations. While Canada has domestic aluminum production, sourcing materials locally requires significant logistical adjustments. What seems like a straightforward shift is, in reality, a complex, long-term endeavor.

This challenge extends beyond Canada. In Jamaica, a transformation that has been years in the making is now disrupting the courier industry. Amazon’s recent introduction of free shipping to Jamaica may appear to be a win for consumers. However, for companies like MailPac, ShipMe, and DHL—whose business models revolve around importing goods for local shoppers—this shift presents a major existential threat.

If these firms did not foresee this change and adjust their strategic planning accordingly, they now face an uphill battle. This underscores a critical reality: businesses that fail to anticipate disruption are left scrambling to survive when it arrives.

Finding Stability Amid Chaos

It is easy to assume that your industry is an exception, that the disruptions affecting others won’t impact you. However, rather than relying on luck, a wiser course of action is to take proactive steps to future-proof your business.

The most effective way to navigate uncertainty is to step back from the daily noise and adopt a long-term perspective. This requires more than a vague vision statement or an inspiring corporate mantra—it demands a clearly defined True North that serves as a guiding principle for decision-making over the next 15 to 30 years.

This level of strategic foresight may seem daunting, especially in an environment where rapid changes create the illusion that long-term planning is futile. However, consider the analogy of air travel: throughout a flight, an airplane is off-course the majority of the time. Yet, through continuous small corrections, it reaches its intended destination.

Your organization must do the same.

Instead of allowing the turbulence of current events to dictate your direction, use these disruptions as an impetus to sharpen your strategic focus. Employees, stakeholders, and investors may feel unsettled by the uncertainty around them, but a well-defined True North provides the stability and clarity needed to move forward with confidence.

By resisting the urge to react to every headline and instead anchoring your organization in a steadfast long-term vision, you create a roadmap that ensures sustainable success—regardless of the chaos that may unfold along the way.

Donald Trump’s return to office has created an unprecedented distraction for CEOs. The daily whirlwind of headlines isn’t just noise—it brings real threats to businesses. So, how do you rise above the chaos and stay focused?

Many leaders thought COVID-19 was the biggest disruption of their careers. The world froze, and recovery took years.

But today, the relentless shocks coming from the U.S. make the pandemic seem mild in comparison. This is disruption on another level.

Some executives have responded by diving headfirst into crisis mode. They react to every shock, chasing after short-term fixes. Running on adrenaline, they believe sheer effort will get them through.

But a few leaders have realized that constantly playing firefighter isn’t just exhausting—it’s dangerous.

The Braddock Trap

History provides a warning: General Edward Braddock’s misstep at the Battle of the Monongahela (1755). When French and Native forces ambushed his troops, he abandoned his command post and charged into battle. He was shot and killed, leaving his soldiers leaderless. The British suffered heavy losses, and the war dragged on.

How can you avoid making the same mistake with your company?

Recognizing the Real Threat

Fortunately, you aren’t facing bullets. But your business does face existential risks—competition, regulation, new technology, and shifting customer expectations.

If you fail to lead, the consequences are real: layoffs, lost market share, declining shareholder value. Even your personal legacy is at stake.

But leadership doesn’t mean rushing into the fray. When you lose sight of the big picture, you abandon your role as a strategic leader. Instead, you need to fight your instinct to react impulsively and take a step back. Will you?

The solution lies in skills you likely didn’t master in school: foresight, strategy, and discipline.

You weren’t promoted for these skills, but today, they are essential. Admitting you need to strengthen them is the first step.

Set a Long-Term Course

History is full of companies that focused too much on short-term fires—only to collapse later.

Jack Welch’s tenure at General Electric set up his successor for failure, wiping out billions in value. Boeing’s leadership sacrificed safety, leading to catastrophic failures. Wells Fargo’s obsession with sales numbers fueled massive fraud.

Short-term goals are fine, but without a long-term vision, they can be disastrous.

Disruptions like Trump 2.0 push leaders into short-term thinking. Here are two common responses:

1. Hit Pause on Strategy. Some leaders believe it’s impossible to plan for the future right now. They assume once things settle, they’ll return to long-term thinking.This logic is gaining traction in boardrooms. Executives point to COVID-19 as “proof” that focusing on immediate concerns is the right call.But what if Trump’s first month back is just the beginning of four years of upheaval?
2. Use Disruption to Strengthen Long-Term Vision.Consider Nintendo. In the 1960s, declining playing card sales forced a shift. Instead of panicking, the company embraced change—experimenting with toys, arcade games, and eventually launching the NES in 1985. That move revitalized the gaming industry and transformed Nintendo into a global powerhouse.The lesson? Disruption can fuel reinvention.

The challenge isn’t choosing a destination. The real difficulty is getting stakeholders to commit to a 15- to 30-year vision—while chaos rages around them.

True leaders use today’s turbulence to build tomorrow’s success.

Learning from History

Take the collapse of the West Indies Federation in 1961. It was a devastating setback for regional unity. But instead of giving up, Jamaica channeled the disruption into its independence movement. Self-determination didn’t die—it just took a new path.

Most leaders, in both government and business, lack the skills to avoid the Braddock trap.

Be different. Warren Buffett put it best: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”

Now is the time to resist knee-jerk leadership. Step back, set a long-term course, and let today’s chaos propel you toward a future worth building.

The world watches with anticipation as DeepSeek.com takes the lead in AI Large Language Models (LLMs). As a leader, you might wonder, “Why can’t my company achieve a similar breakthrough? What’s stopping us from uncovering game-changing insights?”

As your team strategizes, you grow weary of the same old excuses—yours included. Stakeholders demand answers. Why isn’t your organization making a significant impact?

You try to explain: “We lack capital, time, talent, cutting-edge technology, and a Silicon Valley-style culture.” But then, along comes DeepSeek—achieving disruptive success with limited funding, relatively low expertise, cultural disadvantages, and only a few years of effort.

What sets them apart? And more importantly, how can your organization—whether for-profit or nonprofit—create revolutionary strategies consistently? Here are three critical lessons.

1) Prioritize Powerful Insights

A closer look at DeepSeek reveals that they overcame significant obstacles through superior strategy.

To outsiders, it might seem like magic.

Before their recent breakthrough, prevailing wisdom suggested that such an achievement was impossible. However, a deeper examination shows that the Chinese team pieced together a set of unique features. Each individual element may have seemed ordinary, but together, they formed a disruptive force.

This suggests that other teams—perhaps even yours—could have done the same.

A crucial factor in their success appears to be their ability to harness the smallest unit of innovation: a single insight. These insights, while seemingly minor on their own, can combine to create transformative change.

But the key question remains: Can your team do the same? Let’s examine how your corporate strategy is built. Insights should drive your company forward, but if you’re not achieving game-changing results, something needs to shift.

2) Let Go of “Big Man” Thinking

Many CEOs assume they don’t have a strategy problem. They believe they already possess all the insights necessary—derived from their own expertise.

To justify this, they point to their colleagues’ lack of strategic contributions.

“Not one of them has ever come up with a truly strategic insight!” they argue, frustrated by a team that focuses solely on immediate problems. However, they fail to acknowledge that the company itself rewards this behavior.

In some cases, they might be right.

As the CEO, MD, or Chair, you are one of the few people with a comprehensive view of the business. Naturally, strategy falls under your responsibility.

But this could also explain why groundbreaking strategies are so rare.

Think of your company as an intricate system—too complex for any single person to generate all the insights it needs. No outsider, even with extensive reports, can fully grasp its nuances.

Instead, your leadership team must collectively produce DeepSeek-level strategy. But they can’t do this while stuck in the usual mindset and corporate culture.

If you want breakthrough thinking, take a fresh look at your management team. Then, take action to unlock the insights you need.

3) Run a Workshop to Unlock Your C-Suite’s Potential

If you have a generous budget and time to spare, long-term training and coaching are excellent investments. But if, like most, you need results sooner, organize a face-to-face workshop designed to tap into your leadership team’s best thinking. Why?

You won’t extract transformative insights through surveys, bonuses, or one-on-one interviews. Nor will you uncover them in your usual problem-solving meetings.

Instead, take a lesson from crafting a great ChatGPT prompt.

To get quality responses, you feed an AI model relevant data, structure your question carefully, and then hit <Enter>. The chatbot delivers an insightful answer—often one you hadn’t considered.

Now, imagine doing the same with your C-Suite.

Through multiple trials, I’ve found that leadership teams can be “prompted” to generate their own breakthrough insights. How? By structuring an insight-oriented workshop.

Here’s how to run a high-impact session:

1. Craft sharp prompts. Formulate precise questions that challenge conventional thinking and address the root cause of strategic roadblocks.
2. Supply relevant data. Provide internal company information and credible local market insights.
3. Introduce external trends. Share macro trends that neither you nor your competitors can control but must adapt to.
4. Leverage consulting shortcuts. Introduce fresh analytical frameworks used by top consulting firms to accelerate strategic thinking.
5. Encourage AI integration. Use LLMs to help your team think beyond their usual constraints and generate breakthrough ideas.

By combining the insights from this session into your next strategic plan, you’ll position your company for game-changing success.

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Breakthrough strategy isn’t reserved for Silicon Valley startups or billion-dollar enterprises. With the right approach, any organization—including yours—can generate innovative insights that lead to transformational success. The key is fostering a culture that prioritizes insights, moves beyond individual genius, and taps into the collective intelligence of your leadership team. Do this, and your company might just be the next DeepSeek.

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This article was inspired by a column I wrote for the Jamaica Gleaner.

For long-form content on game-changing, pre-emptive long-term strategy, visit https://longtermstrategy.info

As a leader, you have a clear vision of a brighter future for your enterprise. Yet, paradoxically, the more enthusiastic you become, the more resistance you encounter. How do you lead effectively when those around you refuse to be led?

You notice negativity—cynicism, resignation, despair—permeating different levels of the organization. It’s not just an issue at the lower levels; even executives in the C-suite can fall into this trap. In some cases, their negativity makes them unapproachable.

Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising. Even when a project promises benefits for all, resistance still arises.

The Hidden Roots of Resistance

A striking example comes from Dr. Dana Meadows, who led a 1993 workshop on ending global hunger. The attendees, all committed to the cause, surprisingly resisted discussions on vision.

Some argued that talking about vision was futile. Others believed it was dangerous. A few went so far as to say that confronting their deepest hopes for the planet was too painful because it highlighted the vast gap between dreams and reality.

Meadows was astonished. Something deeper was at play.

She concluded that as children, we freely dream of happy futures. However, over time, cynical adults suppress this ability. Many learn to surrender after repeated disappointments.

By adulthood, this pattern becomes ingrained. We withhold our hopes, dreams, and aspirations, fearing further disappointment.

In organizations, this mindset creates a reinforcing cycle of cynicism. Eventually, visionary thinking is stifled altogether.

The Leadership Dilemma

How should you, as a leader, respond? Your instinct might be to push forward with urgency: “Let’s just get on with it.” Or you might try to keep things practical: “Don’t overthink this.” You may even remind employees of the importance of financial stability.

At first glance, this seems reasonable. But in reality, this mindset undermines game-changing innovation.

One common leadership response is to become the “Cheerleader-in-Chief.” If that role doesn’t appeal to you, there’s a more effective way to achieve a positive outcome—without forced enthusiasm.

A Reality-Based Vision Strategy

Recently, two clients challenged me to refine how I help companies develop long-term vision and strategy. Each wanted a method to engage their top 40+ managers before formal strategy sessions.

I reflected on my time as a McKinsey consultant, where my team—young, highly educated, and expensive—was brought in to provide external expertise. We justified our fees by working late nights and accessing hard-to-find knowledge worldwide.

Today, however, the knowledge gap has narrowed. Many companies have in-house MBAs from the same institutions as top consulting firms.

With this in mind, I designed a workshop to tackle the company’s toughest issues, identified through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. These issues were reframed as challenges for teams to solve. Using data from internal sources, the Jamaica Gleaner, ChatGPT, and other references, employees applied structured frameworks, similar to those used by consulting firms. The result? A set of real-time reports with actionable insights.

Insider Advantage

How did these teams perform?

Having worked on both sides of the consulting table, I can confidently say that insiders have a distinct advantage. Their reasoning is superior because they account for resistance from within the company.

After all, they work with these resistant colleagues daily. Their solutions are more practical and more likely to be implemented successfully. But this is just one way to navigate organizational cynicism.

Building Resilience from Within

Most organizations neglect the need to cultivate internal resilience. Employees are left to deal with their own struggles—depression, frustration, bitterness—without structured support. 

This lack of mental health training leaves individuals vulnerable. Even those who believe in the company’s vision can become disillusioned, trapped in a cycle of negativity.

Yet, solutions exist. Therapy, coaching, group training, self-help, and personal development programs offer ways to strengthen resilience. These are not abstract or unsolvable issues. Companies can—and should—take deliberate action.

Turning Resistance into Commitment

In today’s world, leaders don’t need to surrender to cynicism. By acknowledging resistance and equipping employees with the right tools, organizations can transform hesitation into commitment. A thoughtful, reality-based approach to vision and resilience-building paves the way for sustainable success.

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