Certain Uncertainty

Foreword

The only certainty today is uncertainty.

I imagine you've read sentences like this too many times to count over the past few years. But when was the last time you stopped to consider the profound implications of this simple observation? For students of management, like me, one implication is that much of what we have long taken for granted about what good managers do to ensure excellence no longer holds true. Management is badly in need of new thinking (and new action). For that, we need a diverse set of ideas and experiments. And for stewarding both with insight and curiosity, we can thank Thinkers50's remarkable founders, Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer. It is a privilege to be asked to write a foreword for Des's new book––with its engaging, thoughtful, provocative chapters by up‐and‐coming leaders in the study and practice of management.

Despite their diverse content, these works all share common threads. Notably, you will read more than once that the increasingly uncertain and interconnected world of work calls for us to adopt an agile and flexible mindset. Diversity and connection and conversation also emerge as critical themes. Consider that a primary requirement for today's managers is staying informed, which means constant updating and adapting. Yet the inherently collaborative nature of this activity may be underappreciated. The only way to stay informed is to convene and listen to diverse voices. And the only way to make sense of new information is to approach ...