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

Don’t fall in love with your product: Lessons from an 800-year-old family business

15 hours ago • by Alfredo De Massis in Family business • 7 min read

The Frescobaldi formula: humility, reinvention, and stewardship across 30 generations - how to sustain a family business in changing times....

In the age of AI we need magicians, not managers

July 27, 2026 • by William Fischer in Leadership • 8 min read

As knowledge rapidly loses its shelf life, leadership is no longer about what leaders know, but what they can make possible. The answer lies in “magic-making”, not technical mastery. ...

Audience attending a Salzburg Summit discussion featuring David Bach and Justin Trudeau on stage

What competitiveness requires now

July 24, 2026 • by David Bach in Geopolitics • 7 min read

How can leaders stay competitive amid geopolitical uncertainty? David Bach explores resilience, AI, energy security, trust and European reform...

You have the data. So why is inclusion lagging?

July 24, 2026 • by Robert Vilkelis in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion • 9 min read

If your metrics don’t distinguish between the “D” and the “I” in DE&I, your efforts to become more inclusive will likely fail. Here’s how to use your existing data to get inclusion...

Balancing rewards and routines can be an effective strategy for breaking bad habits

Why are bad habits hard to break, and what can I do about it?

July 23, 2026 • by Francesca-Giulia Mereu in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Habits form in the basal ganglia and can resist effort - discover substitution strategies that replace old routines with productive ones at work....

Why “business partnering” is no longer enough for CFOs

July 23, 2026 • by I by IMD in CFO Horizons • 5 min read

Explore the evolving role of CFOs as strategic enablers, emphasizing value-driven decisions and advanced finance strategies for modern organizations....

Most corporate events fail. Here’s why

July 22, 2026 • by Alfredo De Massis, Vittoria Magrelli , Christof Rissbacher in Talent • 7 min read

How to plan an event your employees won’t stop talking about and what the Wings for Life World Run teaches us about organizational culture....

Play

The great reversal: How to survive in the China pressure cooker

July 21, 2026 • by Winter Nie, Yunfei Feng, Marco Gadola in Leadership • 16 min read

Homegrown brands are overtaking once prestigious multinationals in China. Winter Nie, Yunfei Feng, and Marco Gadola offer three pathways for global players to respond....

Audio available

AI and the CSO: 7 ways to drive competitive advantage

July 21, 2026 • by Julia Binder in AI • 3 min read

The role of the chief sustainability officer (CSO) has moved from the margins to the center of corporate strategy. Here are seven ways to harness AI to embed sustainability and drive growth....

Has your team lost its mojo?

July 20, 2026 • by Ginka Toegel in Leadership • 8 min read

Every team has a “mojo” phase. People are curious, meetings have energy, problems feel solvable, and even conflict can feel productive. Then, slowly, something changes... ...

Locker room scene from Moneyball showing a coach leading his baseball team

Get on base: Buy runs not reputations

July 17, 2026 • by I by IMD in Leadership • 2 min read

Strategic leadership insight from Moneyball: stop paying for reputations and buy runs by valuing on-base potential and data-driven decision making....

Why chairs must act to broker board-CEO relations

July 17, 2026 • by Randall S. Peterson in Governance • 8 min read

With CEOs facing unprecedented demand for information and constant updates, chairs need to step in urgently to prevent management from becoming overloaded....

Are you using your human advantage or not?

July 16, 2026 • by Andrew Sharman in Leadership • 9 min read

In a world of hyper-pressure where leaders are being pulled in every direction, the challenge is to perform but also to empower, inspire and protect human energy, creativity, judgement, and courage. The...

Is your C-suite AI-literate?

July 16, 2026 • by Michael R. Wade in AI • 3 min read

Unlock senior leaders’ competitive edge: how AI elevates decision-making, coaching, and talent management - while mitigating cognitive offloading and bias....

5 books to reframe how you think this summer

July 15, 2026 • by Andrew Sharman, Yoshinori Fujikawa, Naomi Haefner, Howard Yu, Tim Quigley in Wellness • 9 min read

Five books for your summer reading list — recommended by IMD professors — to change how you think, from asking better questions to unlocking the creative process. ...

How tracksuit diplomacy can help you reach your goals

July 15, 2026 • by Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff in Geopolitics • 10 min read

Once the preserve of men in pinstripes, international sports stars have redefined the art of diplomacy. Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff explains the new rules of the game and how business leaders can benefit...

How to build an AI-ready sovereign enterprise

July 14, 2026 • by Faisal Hoque, Paul Scade , Pranay Sanklecha in Artificial Intelligence • 14 min read

As AI spreads through the enterprise, companies are losing something that few have thought to protect: the capacity to judge what their systems are doing and to change course when they need...

How to maximize your unique strengths in five simple steps

July 14, 2026 • by Andrea Wojnicki in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Could your confidence use a boost? Identifying your ‘superpowers’ will help you develop a personal brand and flourish as a leader. Here’s how to do it....