Here’s your weekly 5 for Friday insights! A mix of ideas, articles, and conversations that caught our attention this week. From leadership lessons on and off the field to rethinking education and spotting the big shifts shaping our world, we hope you find something here that inspires new thinking.
🎙️ From the rugby pitch to the cockpit, Tony Underwood has seen leadership in action under pressure.
In this episode of Elephants in the Boardroom Podcast, Tony explains why fierce care is the most overlooked leadership skill and how it can future-proof your organisation. Dean and Graeme dive into preparing multigenerational teams for seismic change, why “retirement” is disappearing, and how extending care to everyone in your ecosystem can drive lasting impact. Read more and listen to the full episode here.
📖 The Apprenticeship Revolution: Why Your Next CEO Might Skip University.
Degree apprenticeships are a key to the future… of education, a new generation of talent, and your company’s future workforce. If done well, they could change the world and provide your organisation with a massive competitive advantage. Read the full article here.
🔢 Are we letting numbers run our lives?
Graeme calls this a superb read and he’s right. From fitness trackers to AI, tools designed for measuring often end up misleading. As the author warns, “Mathematics is a powerful tool. But increasingly, maths is being mistaken for reality… we’re ruled by systems that quantify without understanding.”
It’s a fascinating, sometimes darkly comic look at what happens when data starts replacing reality and why thinking beyond the numbers matters more than ever. See Graeme’s thoughts and read the full article here.
🚗 7 Things That Henry Ford Can Teach Us About Changing Education (or your leadership thinking).
If workers in 1926 could thrive with a reimagined work week, then children in 2025 can thrive with a reimagined school week, curriculum, and learning model.
Read Jude’s post here on LinkedIn to find out what parents and school leaders can and should be doing.
🌀 The Grey Elephant is the big, obvious disruptive force reshaping industries, yet it’s often overlooked until it’s too late.
Whether it’s AI and automation, climate change, shifting demographics, or geopolitical instability, these trends are already here, influencing markets, customers, and strategy.
Our Grey Elephant keynote and workshop with Dean or Graeme helps leadership teams recognise disruption early, understand the patterns driving change, and respond with clarity and confidence.
📥 Download the Grey Elephant Guide to explore the trends in more detail, and let’s discuss bringing this conversation to your organisation.
We’d love to hear what resonated with you most. Reach out to us and share your thoughts. 💬