(01)
The missing middle in transformation. Across major transformations, the fault line isn't vision—it's translation. As Partner Mark Newhouse notes from his work with a fintech undergoing broad transformation, "We often think in binaries—visionaries and implementers. But we're missing a third part: the translator." That translator layer—often held by the top 100 leaders—absorbs ambition and converts it into something actionable. Without this, vision stalls between intent and execution.
(02)
Trust at the center. In client conversations about AI agents, as well as in standoffs between AI providers and political leaders, everyone is talking about who should guide AI development—and how to do so. Leaders worry that "launching agents without clear principles and values governing their behavior risks diluting trust in the agent—and in the company that launched it," Managing Partner Nicolas Maitret observes. As agents move from pilots into customers' hands, capability is no longer the differentiator. Governance is. The real question isn't what agents can do—it's whether trust can scale as fast as they do.
(03)
When the future looks like the past. Leadership comebacks are surfacing a quiet tension in boardrooms. Principal Paola Allais Acree reflects on the return of a CEO to a major American conglomerate: "How do we not fall into the trap of going back—of longing for what was—while leveraging the authority this person has?" In volatile moments, familiarity feels stabilizing. But stability can quickly become regression. The question underneath it all: How to use legacy as leverage while designing for the future.
(04)
Built to absorb. Across industries, appetite for the "big reveal" is fading. In our work with clients, we're feeling that "building something durable feels more aspirational right now than building something new and shiny," Principal Ellie Jabbour observes. In a climate of constant disruption, spectacle is easily eclipsed. What organizations are reaching for instead is change that can be absorbed—co-created, pressure-tested, embedded across functions. In this moment, endurance is the design goal—not the byproduct—of transformation.
