I by IMD - First-person Business Intelligence from the Brightest Thinkers

Latest insights

next-generation professional stands at a forked path between a modern glass building and a historic stone building, symbolizing the choice between entrepreneurial independence and eventually returning to lead the family business

Should your kids leave the family business before they lead?

11 hours ago • by Alfredo De Massis, Philipp Sieger, Jasper Brinkerink, Massimo Baù, Johan Karlsson in Family business • 8 min read

Should kids leave the family business to lead later? Learn how outside-entrepreneurship strengthens leadership, ownership, and long-term renewal....

Compass resting on a circuit-board surface with a winding road and distant mountains, symbolizing navigation in technology.

Why career relevance matters much more than career progression

11 hours ago • by Arturo Pasquel in Talent • 7 min read

The real measure of a successful career is no longer how consistently we progress, but how consistently we remain relevant. The leaders who endure are those who continue creating value, regardless of...

building with visible underground foundations extending deep below the surface, symbolizing the resilience, strategic foresight, and long-term value creation that support organizational longevity

Does your board meet these seven sustainability tests?

11 hours ago • by Matthias Altendorf in Brain Circuits • 2 min read

Explore seven sustainability tests that help boards align initiatives with value creation, resilience, and long-term corporate longevity...

Appreciating what you have during uncertainty

Why uncertainty can increase job satisfaction

August 19, 2026 • by Emily Bianchi in Leadership • 7 min read

Conventional wisdom suggests uncertainty undermines morale. Research shows it can have the opposite effect. Here are five actions leaders can take to build engagement and resilience when times are tough....

From setback to system change: How leaders can learn from transformational resilience

August 19, 2026 • by Luca Condosta in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion • 8 min read

A new framework maps out how to move from surviving setbacks to reshaping systems, illustrated by Martine Roy's journey from forced military discharge to sustained institutional reform. ...

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The $2 hot dog strategy: Why AI can’t replace five-star service

August 18, 2026 • by Howard Yu in Artificial Intelligence • 7 min read

AI is taking the effort out of professional services, and customers know it. Businesses must stop selling billable hours and start delivering unreasonable hospitality, writes Howard Yu....

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Professional woman in a dark blazer holding a notebook, standing beside a modern building with mountains in the background.

How to think like an optimist (and why you should)

August 18, 2026 • by Dorotea Brandin in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Discover how to think like an optimist and empower your team with proactive and constructive responses to uncertainty....

Group of four people in ancient robes on a wooden sailing ship at sunset, gazing toward the horizon.

What the Odyssey teaches us about generational succession

August 17, 2026 • by Alfredo De Massis in Family business • 7 min read

The real hero of The Odyssey isn't Odysseus; it’s Telemachus, and every family business should know why....

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How the Mulliez family built a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem

August 14, 2026 • by Peter Vogel, Anouk Lavoie Orlick in Family business • 7 min read

Antoine Mayaud, a shareholder and member of the Association Familiale Mulliez (AFM) behind Decathlon and Auchan, explains how the family embedded entrepreneurship into its culture and processes, creating a system that repeatedly...

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Building trust in a complex global business

August 14, 2026 • by Mark J. Greeven in Leadership • 7 min read

How COFCO International rebuilt trust under Chi Jingtao (Johnny) with alignment, values, and visible leadership....

woven rope lattice with one subtle raised crossing that no longer interlocks, illustrating how a team can appear connected and healthy while an important relationship or collaboration quietly stops functioning

How to spot – and fix – pseudo-engagement in your team

August 13, 2026 • by Amy Bradley in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Identify signs of pseudo-engagement and apply leadership-focused actions to turn surface satisfaction into real team results....

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Honestly speaking? Your board is probably too vanilla

August 13, 2026 • by Parminder Kohli in Governance • 7 min read

Modern corporate governance is built for a stable world that no longer exists. If your board members look diverse on paper but always agree in practice, then it’s time for a rethink,...

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The CFO’s balancing act: Delivering more intelligent growth

August 12, 2026 • by I by IMD in CFO Horizons • 4 min read

The era of unchecked expansion has passed – for Søren Westh Lonning, CFO at FinTech Pleo, the challenge now is to drive balanced, disciplined growth....

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Is your AI a witness for the defense or prosecution?

August 11, 2026 • by Abraham Hongze Lu in Artificial Intelligence • 13 min read

Organizations have historically maintained a comfortable distance between corporate rhetoric and operating reality, but all that changed with AI. Boards must move past performative oversight or face severe regulatory and reputational risks,...

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Close-up of a metal watch movement with gears on a wooden workbench, a small gear placed beside tweezers ready for assembly.

Are you embracing your inner founder?

August 11, 2026 • by I by IMD in Artificial Intelligence • 2 min read

HubSpot CPO Helen Russell argues that leaders need to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset and master three key skills to thrive in an AI-driven world....

Modern car showroom with glass exterior displaying luxury cars inside and a row of vehicles outside on a cloudy day.

AI keeps getting cheaper. Your bill keeps going up

August 10, 2026 • by Michael Watkins in Artificial Intelligence • 14 min read

AI is developing a “model-year” pricing dynamic, much like cars, with yesterday’s capabilities rapidly becoming commoditized, while this year’s frontier models stay expensive. Michael Watkins explains why and what this means for...

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How to build up your courage, one step at a time

August 7, 2026 • by Jim R. Detert in Leadership • 10 min read

Workplace bravery is too often seen through the lens of a few heroic whistleblowers. But choosing small everyday acts of courage is a skill that can be learned by everyone, writes Jim...