In the last decade, we’ve seen new models of corporate leadership through more challenging geopolitical realities. These models follow five rules for businesses looking to adapt, innovate, and grow: 1) They look for a seat at the table and opportunities to shape their role; 2) They lean into geopolitical “swing states”; 3) They don’t compartmentalize crises; 4) They don’t rely on predictions; they plan around inflection points; and 5) They understand the limits to the power of commerce in geopolitics.
Geopolitics is an uncertain business. The world order to which most business leaders were once accustomed is now facing its greatest challenge since the Cold War, if not World War II. Wars in Europe and the Middle East and rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific have made the world more turbulent and less predictable. There are few offramps to what increasingly looks like a geopolitical hard landing that could threaten global security and growth.
