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

Latest insights

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

5 hours ago • 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....

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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....

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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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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....

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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...

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Cybersecurity starts not with code but with culture

August 6, 2026 • by I by IMD in Talent • 6 min read

Corporate cybersecurity now depends as much on culture as on technical defenses, explains Ipsos CPO Kerri O’Neill ...

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Are you tapping into the talent of older workers?

August 6, 2026 • by Robert Hooijberg, Tania Lennon in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Question your talent practices: a guide to evaluating resource allocation for age diversity and enhancing problem solving....

Swiss telecoms provider Sunrise outlines how HR can show its worth

August 5, 2026 • by I by IMD in Human Resources • 4 min read

Tobias Foster, CHRO of Sunrise, explains how to measure and demonstrate the business impact of HR....

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No job title required: Anyone can be a catalyst for change

August 4, 2026 • by Elisa Alt , Katrin Heucher , Sara Soderstrom in Innovation • 13 min read

Valuable social and environmental initiatives can come from anywhere. Elisa Alt, Katrin Heucher, and Sara Soderstrom offer a research-backed roadmap for leaders to activate the ‘change agents’ already on the payroll....

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How to lead when you’re not the expert: Part 2 – Team doubts

August 4, 2026 • by Francesca-Giulia Mereu in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Diagnose team doubts and turn uncertainty into trust. A practical guide for new leaders to identify causes and win buy-in with calm, strategic steps....

Using data to prove the value of HR

August 2, 2026 • by I by IMD in Human Resources • 5 min read

People analytics leaders believe CHROs should use data to demonstrate HR's real value. James Rands at Specsavers and Daniel Kusmanto at ASM offer insights on what CHROs need to know to capitalize on...

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Learn to trust the team – as well as the process

July 31, 2026 • by Graham Clark in Coaching Corner • 5 min read

Learn why a CEO-to-be must trust their team and the process. A coach helps Ian shift from micromanagement to collaborative leadership that unlocks performance...

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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...