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

Latest insights

middle manager presents a document outlining strategic trade-offs to senior executives during a boardroom meeting

Are you a corporate shock absorber?

July 30, 2026 • by Robert Vilkelis in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Middle managers shield teams from brutal leadership. Learn to stop buffering, translate conflict, and steer strategy with clear trade-offs....

As sustainability reporting rules are diluted, the real test for CFOs begins

July 30, 2026 • by Florian Hoos in CFO Horizons • 5 min read

Even as sustainability reporting rules are diluted, investors are using AI to turn nonfinancial disclosures and data into valuation insights. Florian Hoos examines what this means for CFOs and why companies cannot...

Build attitude, buy skills

July 29, 2026 • by Richard Roi, Luca Condosta in Leadership • 8 min read

Leaders can hire technical expertise on demand, says Giampiero Frisio, President of Electrification at ABB. But building the curiosity, resilience, and perspective that underpin long-term performance requires a deliberate and sustained investment...

So, you think you’ve built an ecosystem…

July 28, 2026 • by Mark J. Greeven in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Many organizations think they have created an ecosystem, but fall well short. Answer the questions below to check whether your “ecosystem” is sustainable in the long term....

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

July 28, 2026 • 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...

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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....

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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....

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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....