NeXt - Board Edition | June 2026

The capabilities that separate exceptional leaders are evolving. While financial and technical expertise remain essential, the rapid acceleration of AI is placing a premium on leaders who can navigate ambiguity, anticipate change, and connect the dots across their organization.

So, which leadership skill is most important today? According to our research of over 2,700 leaders globally, the answer is strategic thinking.

In this month's NeXt, we explore how you can strengthen your strategic thinking. We also share which external forces leaders believe will have the biggest impact on organizational health in the next year, and how prepared your peers are to face it.

In this edition:

01 How To Strengthen Your Strategic Thinking

02 Tech Change Emerges as the Top Influence on Organizational Health

03 Leadership Lounge: How GenAI Can Elevate—And Expose—Today’s Leaders

04 The Shift from Performance to Potential

05 Transformational Leadership Study

Leadership Lounge

“A good surgeon knows how to conduct surgery; a better surgeon knows when to conduct it; but the best surgeons know when not to conduct it. That requires critical thinking.”

The ability to interrogate GenAI output, provide context, and apply wisdom separates leaders who use GenAI effectively from those who outsource their judgment. We explore ways AI can enhance critical thinking without replacing it.

Listen here

Big Data

79

The percentage of leaders who believe transformation is extremely or very critical to the growth and stability of their organization.

Building the leadership capacity to drive transformation is essential for organizational resilience. We share how your peers are approaching transformation, and the four pillars of transformational leadership needed to activate change.

Dig into the data