To ensure a successful transformation to a Market Intelligence 3.0 capability, it is important to establish a governance organization to create a business case, develop a roadmap, design associated communication and coaching programs to manage the change across the enterprise, and position a capability that serves as a source of information and insight for leaders across the organization.

A complex and vulnerable infrastructure ecosystem can be constrained by regulatory, financial, and human factors that impede innovation, economic growth, and social prosperity. Adversaries can exploit the vulnerabilities these constraints create, presenting an existential risk to the infrastructure itself, your organization, and even your country.

In September, following the response to Hurricane Harvey, we considered the questions of what and how to protect necessary infrastructure – whether people, pipes, or petabytes. In that context, we noted that “More people and vulnerable infrastructure exposed to more frequent and intense hazards equals even greater risk for us in the future.” We proposed that any infrastructure threat protection program must be Consistent, Insistent, and Persistent.

 On a wall in the Brighton Ski Lodge located outside of Salt Lake City, there is a tiny plaque that simply states "BE." For years, I would go skiing at Brighton and wonder what "BE" meant. It seemed like an odd statement. What was its importance? What was I missing? What am I supposed to "BE"?

Purpose as the reason for action or existence has remained consistent over centuries. It’s where and how people and societies locate their purpose that has evolved over time. As we consider the state of our government and the present and future state of work, we see that the impetus to pursue purpose has not changed, but how and where we find it has.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about risk lately. As I engage with leaders at various commercial and government organizations, I hear them talk about threats and vulnerabilities; about what they need to protect and from whom. What struck me recently, however, is that, despite all this discussion of risk, most organizations still have a Chief Security Officer, a Security Department, or something similar. Are organizations limiting their thinking when they simply refer to security?

The operating environment continues to grow more volatile, ambiguous, complex, and uncertain (VACU). As it does, organizations realize the extent to which rapidly changing external factors have the power to influence their future success. Building resilience means developing forward-looking strategies and practices that prepare and equip them to grasp the opportunities inherent in those external impacts, and to protect the organization from the challenges within as well.

This year’s Boston Marathon left a lasting imprint on my heart. Maybe it’s because I’m currently training for my first marathon, which I’ll run in Chicago this Fall. Watching the race from almost 2400 miles away, I felt like I was a part of the activities – as if I was there on the course with the runners, struggling through the miles, trying to stay warm and focused. Anticipating the finish line with every step. Celebrating the achievement.

Strategy is overcomplicated. Government and commercial executives get so wrapped up in working to figure out all the details of a complex task or objective that they lose sight of the plan.

This simple four-step strategy approach helps to identify the path you need to take, which informs the strategy you need to build. Each step in the process below should have a clear answer that involves stakeholders from inside and outside the organization.

As the world becomes more connected and data-driven, notions of trust and privacy are evolving. Organizations striving for resilience are designing human-machine interactions into their systems. To accommodate the needs of both man and computer, they are structuring new processes. And as they do, most are keeping a watchful eye on the known and unknown risks of bio-digital convergence.

The late 1960’s was a pivotal era of social activism. In 1966, Time Magazine named the “Generation Under 25” as its Person of the Year. By 1968, college-aged American youth were acting as “fledgling revolutionaries,” opting for action over talk. In universities and on the streets of major cities like New York, the marches, riots, and protests were widespread – and justified. Most of the activists were seniors in high school when John Kennedy was shot to death. When those same young adults reached their senior year of college, James Earl Ray murdered Martin Luther King. The Vietnam War took their friends and lingered in their minds as a very possible part of their own future.