Hal Gregersen

When confronted with a problem, our typical response is to look for a pre-packaged solution. But in a world increasingly transformed by technology and riddled with uncertainty, we face problems that have no ready-made answer or past precedent. Employees may think their role is to have all the answers, but in fact, says Hal Gregersen, they should be asking questions – especially when operating on the edge of uncertainty.

Built on his trailblazing research and teaching with colleagues at the MIT Leadership Center, Gregersen delivers a radical reconceptualization of leadership in a world that is in constant flux, answering the fundamental question of how to cultivate leadership that is honed to find and solve problems? As the landscape of work undergoes seismic shifts, he argues that traditional leadership skills are no longer sufficient. Leaders today must excel at problem finding and solving, continually redefining what’s next, and steering their teams through uncharted territories. This keynote is a vital roadmap for leaders who are ready to embrace this new paradigm of challenge-driven leadership.

Is an innovator born or made? This is the question Hal Gregersen, along with the late Clayton Christensen and Jeff Dyer, set out to answer for their bestselling book, “The Innovator’s DNA.” Drawing on his firsthand conversations with 100+ game-changing founders and CEOs – and research from more than 25,000 creative leaders around the world – Gregersen discusses how leaders leverage AI to turbocharge five key skills for solving challenging problems and discovering new markets to fuel economic growth. Gregersen also focuses attendees’ energy on actively developing these skills through brief, high-energy learning activities so they leave thinking and acting differently in their professional work and personal lives.

For all of us, artificial intelligence and exponential technologies are turning the world upside down in terms of what we do, where we do what we do, how we do it, and when we do it. Whether we like it or not, we are being forced to give up habits that worked well in the past and navigate our way through entirely unknown and uncomfortable territory. As individuals and leaders, we are struggling to figure out what’s next, meaning “What new skillset or mindset is worth the effort to engage with?” so that we can make progress in times of extreme transition. In this session, we will explore the power of transition curve leadership and the role of catalytic inquiry in moving ourselves and others forward.

Trained or not, we are all leaders and we are all photographers. The best leaders and photographers have learned how to see beneath the surface of any situation, resulting in an impactful insight or image. The paths to creating both are more similar than different. In this keynote, Gregersen explores five habits for seeing more deeply as a leader and for helping us uncover the hidden forces that hold us back from more meaningful moments and more significant progress.