Leading Breakthrough Strategy in Volatile Times with Rebecca Homkes

How can leaders turn uncertainty, which can feel like fear, into an opportunity for growth? In this episode, Kevin sits down with Dr. Rebecca Homkes to explore why volatile times require a different approach to strategy. Rebecca explains that uncertainty is not automatically bad; it is simply a set of future events that may or may not occur. Leaders have a responsibility to help their teams reframe it as a chance to learn and grow faster. Kevin and Rebecca discuss why traditional strategy tools often assume too much certainty, how language and meeting rhythms can unintentionally push teams into protection mode, and why asking "has the situation changed?" is more useful than simply asking whether we are on track. They also explore the importance of moving from survival mode to reset mode, clarifying your right to win, and recognizing that a growth mandate is also a change mandate.

 

Listen For

00:00 Why we hit reset to thrive in uncertain times 01:46 Meet Dr. Rebecca Homkes 03:08 Why she wrote Survive, Reset, Thrive 04:52 The big idea: uncertainty is a time to grow 05:49 What strategy is — and what never changes 08:03 Why "uncertain" doesn't have to mean "bad" 11:58 Learning velocity: the #1 differentiator 14:10 Two types of uncertainty and the paralysis trap 16:20 Planning vs. preparing 19:29 The reset: a growth mandate is a change mandate 21:00 Parallel pathing: execute while you build 23:23 Where to start 24:44 Hard resets — Starbucks, Nike, Disney 26:15 What Rebecca's reading 28:03 Where to learn more and get the book 28:38 "Now what?" — the question that matters

Rebecca's Story: Dr. Rebecca Homkes is the author of Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times. She is a high-growth strategy specialist and the founder of a boutique consultancy firm, advising CEOs and executive teams focused on growth and success through uncertainty. She is a faculty member at Duke Corporate Executive Education, Lecturer at the London Business School (LBS) Executive Education, Advisor and Faculty at BCGU (Boston Consulting Group), and previous Fellow at the London School of Economics (LSE)'s Centre for Economic Performance. Dr. Homkes is also the director of the Young President's Organization (YPO) global Active Learning Program (ALP); a former partner with GrowthX, a Silicon Valley investment ecosystem and innovation consultancy; and the faculty lead of fintech scaleup accelerators.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-homkes

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