Leading Through Complexity: Insights from Lenovo Accelerate 360
Future-Proofing Leadership in the Digital Age.
Recently, Gaia Grant and I had the privilege of presenting a joint keynote at Lenovo’s Accelerate 360 event in Sydney, where over 200 leaders and partners gathered to explore what it means to lead with clarity and purpose in a digitally complex world.
Gaia shared powerful insights from our research into innovation readiness—highlighting how organisations can build cultures that embrace uncertainty and foster sustainable change. I complemented this with strategic leadership frameworks designed to help executives navigate disruption and complexity with confidence.
What stood out most was the energy in the room: a collective hunger for practical tools, evidence-based thinking, and meaningful conversations about the future of leadership. From the in-session discussions to the post-event dialogue, it was clear that the appetite for preparing for purposeful innovation and change is stronger than ever.
Thanks to Lenovo for curating such a forward-thinking platform, and to everyone who contributed to the conversation.
If you’re interested in the frameworks we presented or want to explore how they apply to your organisation, feel free to reach out—we’re always keen to continue the dialogue.
Two key quotes from the event that stood out and reinforced the core message:
“Progress isn’t linear. It’s dynamic, sometimes dissonant, and always demanding…
We need to continually re-ground ourselves in our mission and culture.”
Satya Nadel, CEO Microsoft
“This is not an integrator's game but an innovator's race”.
Yuanqing Yang. Lenovo Chairman and CEO
Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC
Future-Proofing Innovation Leadership in the Digital Age (keynote/workshop)
Thriving in a complex future (article)
The rapid rise of AI is reshaping leadership, adding an unpredictable X factor to an already complex landscape. As businesses race to innovate, leaders must juggle competing demands—balancing urgency and caution to drive sustainable, strategic growth. This new wave of growth is forcing executives to balance tradition with transformation, speed with strategy, and agility with stability. This keynote explores the paradox of AI adoption: how leaders can harness its potential without losing control, disrupting teams, derailing innovation, and fracturing organizations. Through groundbreaking insights from The Innovation Race and The Change-Ready Capabilities Action Guide, this keynote/workshop introduces powerful tools, such as the Innovative Change Leader Inventory (iCLi) and Dynamic Polar Positioning (DPoP), to help leaders navigate digital transformation. This interactive session equips executives with practical strategies to foster agility, resilience, and sustainable innovation - ensuring they don’t just keep up with AI but lead through the disruption.
Key Takeaways:
Understand the impact of AI on innovation leadership and transformational change
Effectivity master and lead through the tension between speed and strategy in AI-driven change
Gain insights into leadership styles and how to manage competing demands
Learn practical ways to navigate digital transformation with confidence
FEEDBACK
“Thank you, Gaia Grant (PhD) and Andrew Grant, for your insightful keynote on navigating the paradox between innate leadership styles, Explorers and Preservers. Backed by your PhD research and brought to life through compelling real-world examples, your presentation illuminated how embracing this tension can unlock ambidextrous leadership and drive meaningful innovation. The framework around balancing Exploration (responsive, passionate, innovative) with Preservation (efficient, controlled, consolidated) particularly resonated with me. It reinforced the importance of leaders developing the agility to shift along this continuum, cultivating cultures that are both change-ready and sustainably grounded.”
Adrian Thake | Commercial Channel Sales Manager | LENOVO (ANZ)
