The Transformative Power of Imagination: Why Experiences Are Key for Future Leadership
Over the past decennia, technological progress has boomed like never before. Think of the endless list of buzzwords that surround fields like AI, blockchain, XR, 3D imaging, computing, … Among the many opportunities that this surge of technology provides, it simultaneously presents a sense of overwhelming complexity.
How are we as leadership supposed to see the forest for the trees and even more so, navigate our organizations through this vast tsunami of opportunities? While tech evangelists are praising the transformative power of web3 and the metaverse, how much have organizations actually embraced these emerging futures up to this point?
In my work around leadership and technology, I’ve made a surprising observation: once people engage with new technology, some magic occurs that unlocks the capacity to generate novel ideas. That creates a good amount of excitement and fuels a desire to dive deeper into an exploration process and eventually, turn those ideas into reality.
One of the main obstacles I’ve come across for fully delivering on the promise of technology-driven business transformation, is our capacity to imagine different realities and ways of being. Every human is born with the capacity for imagination, yet not every environment is as conducive for expressing and nurturing this innate human capability.
The typical corporate channels from which we source our inspiration are mainly focused on a single sensory experience, whether it’s smartly crafted communication, engaging podcasts or even high-profile keynote speeches. But these all fall short for building a deeper and embodied understanding of the technology that’s promised to change our world.
It’s not just our brain that must do all the work here. In the busyness of our work environments, we need something more to catalyze meaningful transformation. In order to truly embrace the transformative opportunities available for organizations, one must engage in an active process of discovery and exploration and let our hearts be touched by excitement.
If you look at how children and teenagers learn, who we all praise for their next-level digital fluency, you’ll see that they spend time engaging with technology. This active trial-and-error process reveals not only how technology can be used, it also allows for reflection on the possibilities that these new tools provide.
In 2017, I had a personal experience that completely changed my life and career – I attended my first VR conference. That immersive experience made my brain spin so wild with possibilities that just a year later, I found myself in a different country building a new team. The main factor that led me to this result was my excitement out of which the ideas and connections were created that were foundational to the start of this adventure.
Of course, I’m not saying that everyone should put on a VR headset and uproot their lives. But if you’re committed to creating a future that’s driven by opportunity, find and immerse yourself in experiences that are relevant to your field. They are a powerful catalyzer for the passion that’s required of leadership to navigate organizations to their next level of existence.
Thomas De Bruyne
Deloitte Xperience Lab Lead & Transformational Leadership | Co -Chair Transformative Tech CZ
About Thomas:
Leading the Xperience Lab at Deloitte, he provides (aspiring) leaders with immersive experiences around the emerging futures for their industry. The Lab is built on the belief that leaders make better investment decisions from a deep-felt understanding of emerging tech, allowing them to create a healthier Future of Business.
As Co-Chair for the Transformative Tech community in Czech Republic, he connects people and ideas around technology’s potential to accelerate leaps in consciousness for many.
