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A sense of unease has settled over the countrya shared anxiety fueled by headlines, social media, and persistent uncertainty about the future. From escalating conflicts in the Middle East to disturbing incidents of political violence here at home, Americans across the spectrum are grappling with instability and disruption. This isnt just partisan fatigue or angstits a broader disorientation about who we are as a nation and where were headed.As an avid scuba diver, I (Craig) have learned that when seasickness strikes, the best remedy is to focus on the horizon. In times of uncertainty, we need that same kind of long-range perspective. America, while powerful, is relatively young. History is replete with examples of empires experiencing internal strife. Fareed Zakarias Age of Revolutions documents this phenomenon with precision. While historical parallels dont alleviate our present anxieties, they can offer a broader context.One reason this moment feels so disorienting is that theres often a gap between expectations and reality. Many of us grew up with a hopeful, sometimes idealized narrative of American progress and unity. Todays polarized discourse, political violence, and institutional tensions can challenge that view. But rather than disengage, we need to adaptand recommit.In moments of uncertainty, our instincts may be to fight, flee, or freeze. But when we try to do all three at once, we risk exhaustion and paralysis. Freezingtuning out or giving upfeels safe, but its unsustainable. Instead, we advocate for a balanced approach: fight and flight, both with intention. Fight: Civic engagement as a steadying force To fight is to stay constructively engaged. That means seeking out credible, fact-based news. It means voting and encouraging others to do the same. It means participating in civil dialogue and seeking to understand perspectives that differ from our ownempathy can bridge divides. Leaders in business, nonprofits, and communities all have a role to play. Upholding the rule of law, supporting fair elections, and defending the institutions that sustain our economy and civic life arent political actstheyre commitments to stability and shared progress. At Leadership Now Project[DA1] , weve mobilized business leaders from both parties to take action, supporting policies that protect democracy, engaging with policymakers, speaking out publicly, defending election officials, and recognizing courageous leadership. These efforts are grounded in principle, not partisanship, because a strong democracy is essential to a thriving economy. Flight: Protecting peace isnt escapismits strategic Flight doesnt mean tuning outit means stepping back to preserve focus and clarity. In an era of constant information overload, its easy to feel overwhelmed. But we cant let the noise drown out the signal. This means prioritizing what truly matters: health, relationships, and purpose. It means limiting the distractions that drain us and being intentional about how we spend our energy. Whether through mindfulness, service, or simple moments of joy, finding inner stability helps us stay grounded. Its what allows us to show up consistently, over the long term.Holocaust survivor and psychologist Viktor Frankl once wrote that while we cant always control our circumstances, we can choose our response. That mindsetanchoring in purpose and positivity even amid chaoscan help us move forward with clarity and resolve. Find purpose In short: Even in uncertainty, we can find purpose. Even amid division, we can choose to build. The storm may not pass quickly, but we are far from powerless. When we anchor ourselves in valuescuriosity, leadership, accountabilitywe become more resilient. And when we come together across differences, we remind ourselves that the story of this country has always been written by people who chose to engage, to hope, and to act. We are not alone. And the horizon is there to help us refocus. Daniella Ballou-Aares is the founder and CEO of the Leadership Now Project. Craig Robinson is founding member of Leadership Now Project.
Category:
E-Commerce
After 20 years working in sustainability, I thought I understood most levers companies could pull to drive impact. As a former CEO and longtime sustainability leader, I have spent my career trying to drive systems change by making businesses and supply chains more sustainable and resilient, advocating for transparency, championing responsible sourcing, and pushing for more equity in business. In these roles, Ive thought about where companies banked, how 401(k)s were invested, and even how philanthropic dollars could fund this work. Climate finance came up in those contexts, often tied to investors, philanthropy, or policy. But I had never looked closely at insurance. That turned out to be a major oversight but also a lightbulb moment. Why insurance? Insurance is one of the most powerful, least understood systems shaping business and risk. It doesnt just protect value, it influences where value flows in the first place. And once I began to see that, I couldn’t unsee it. The scale is staggering. The industry collects about $8 trillion in premiums each year and manages around $35 trillion in assets. Underwriting decisions influence what gets built, what gets financed, and how companies prepare for risk. These decisions often happen behind the scenes, but they quietly define the boundaries of business. Until recently, I had not considered insurance as a climate lever. Now I see it as an important and underutilized tool to accelerate resilience and impact. Insurance doesnt just reflect risk. It prices it. And pricing influences behavior. When insurers begin to recognize climate-smart practices and reward resilience, they do more than react to a changing world. They help shape it. Insurance and climate That is what led me to join Premiums for the Planet. We work with companies that want to reduce risk, lower costs, and build long-term resilience. Some are vocal about their sustainability goals. Others are making progress quietly, especially in todays political climate, where public conversations around climate and sustainability have become more polarized. But across the board, the work is still happening and insurance can help it go further. Because this is no longer just about climate commitments. It is about business fundamentals and how we can transform business as usual. Insurance is something every company needs and already buys. But few think about how it could be doing more for both their business and the planet. When companies begin to see insurance as a strategic tool, not just a budget line item, they start asking better questions. Are we covered for the risks we are truly facing in a rapidly evolving climate? Do insurers see the investments we have made in sustainability? How can smarter risk management improve our terms or help fund what comes next? Each of these questions opens up opportunities. Companies that explore them often uncover ways to save money, strengthen coverage, and align their insurance strategy with long-term goals. In the short term, insurance can uncover savings and plug gaps. In the medium term, it can enhance business resilience in a warming world and reduce the risks that often go unaccounted for. In the long term, it has the potential to transform an industry that is long overdue for change. That transformation matters. Insurers have the ability to influence entire markets. Their decisions can help slow harmful sectors like fossil fuels and unsustainable land use. Just as importantly, they can help accelerate the growth of renewables, regenerative agriculture, climate technology, and resilient infrastructure by de-risking their development, rewarding their performance, and making them more investable. Insurers as partners Insurers do not need to be cast as villains. The real opportunity is to bring them in as partners. These are institutions that have spent decades pricing risk. They understand long-term exposure. And they are well positioned to help define what a more stable and sustainable economy looks like. But no one company can shift this system on its own, something Ive long believed and know from first-hand experience to be true. The insurance industry is too massive, too interconnected, and too entrenched to move for any single player, no matter how large or committed. Change requires coordination. It takes businesses acting together, sending consistent signals, and demanding better alignment between insurance and climate goals. We often talk about invisible systems. Insurance is one of them. And like any system, it can evolve. At a time when government regulation is either too slow or a barrier to real change, this is a lever that business can pull now. Quietly or publicly. Through bold messaging or internal changes. Either way, it counts. We need to broaden our view of climate finance. That means connecting sustainability and risk teams. It means bringing together operations, procurement, legal, and finance. And it means recognizing that insurance is not just a protective layer. It is a tool for change. The companies that lead in the next decade will not only be more sustainable. They will also be more insurable. Amina Razvi is chief development and operations officer for Premiums for the Planet.
Category:
E-Commerce
In the last decade, the buzz around design has captured global attention. People everywhere are increasingly interested in design and seem to recognize how it impacts nearly every facet of our lives. Popular culture also places a high value on design, yet the corporate C-suite too often walks a different path. Leading companies such as Apple, IBM, Nike, and PepsiCo have historically understood the transformative power of design. Recognizing that design is not just about aesthetics, theyve leaned on design as a business driver to differentiate their brand, create customer loyalty, and deliver market value. Apple is a perfect case study. Its rise from the early 2000s to become one of the worlds most valuable companies is often credited to its focus on beautiful products and intuitive interfaces, from the iPod to the iPhone, making design part of everyday conversation. For a time, organizations across industries seemed to understand design as a strategic advantage. But today, in an era marked by what Ive heard called a “design-cession, many companies seem to have lost track of this insight, marking design as a cost center to manage. Moreover, theres an alarming absence of designers at the highest levels of corporate decision making. Even in companies that claim to be design-led, or in the management consultancies who have gobbled up small to mid-sized innovation and branding agencies, we rarely see designers in the boardroom. I keep wondering, why not? And how do we fix this? The problem The obvious question is: Why are designers so underrepresented in places where key strategic decisions are being made? After all, design is not just about products, packaging, or digital platforms; its about creating innovative user experiences, improving services, and designing better ways of working within organizationstransforming the mundane into the extraordinary. In recent years, companies have grown increasingly risk-averse, unsure how to navigate an unpredictable future. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to take shortcuts to survive, particularly in areas deemed nonessential like design. Even as conditions stabilized, this mindset lingered, often leaving design excellence deprioritized. The rise of AI has further complicated the role of design in business and culture. While many companies now lean on artificial intelligence for speed and efficiency, human designers have been further pushed from the equation, despite that AI lacks the creativity and empathy to understand human needs unless guided by human input. At the same time, a troubling gap exists between business and design education, with little overlap in training or collaboration. All this to say, despite general awareness, consumer passion, and decades of telltale research showcasing how the intangibles of brand and design drive corporate value, too many companies now see design as a cost to work around rather than a key contributor to innovation and profitability. As Uli Becker, a friend and mentor of mine and the former CEO of Reebok said to a room full of design leaders recently: If you all dont do your jobs well, I have nothing to sell. The undervaluation of design is not only detrimental to business, but to our world as a whole. Good design relies on research to define problems, ideate solutions, prototype, and test. It serves as a valuable tool for addressing some of the worlds most complex challenges, from climate change to inequality. I firmly believe that design matters. The solution As an MBA who has spent most of her career at the intersection of business and design, I often ask myself where are all the designers? Despite consistent evidence showing that companies that embrace human-led design tend to outperform their competitors, why do business leaders still insist on seeing design as a soft skill versus the competitive advantage it is? In 2015, the Design Management Institute published a study with Microsoft, revealing that design-led companies outperformed the S&P 500 by an astonishing 211% over a 10-year period. In 2019, McKinsey released a report showing that design-driven companies saw an increase in both revenue and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of their industry peers. From this data, one clear fact emerges: Design is not only a differentiator; it is a critical driver of financial performance. So how can the worlds companies ensure they utilize the power of design? The answer is simple: Re/introduce designers into the boardroom. In the words of Beth Comstock, then SVP of GE, “What business needs now is design. What design needs now is making it about business.” Its a two-way problem and a holistic solution. Heres what needs to give: Companies need to invest in design. This means committing to the ongoing leadership training of designers across all levels, and providing learning and development opportunities to bring more designers into senior leadership roles. Designers need to learn and design schools need to teach business fundamentals. If designers of all levels could speak the language of businessROI, gross margin, net profit, market share, brand equity, etc.then perhaps their voices will be louder and more confident, their contributions taken more seriously, and their paths to the C-suite made more obvious. Public and private sector investments should be made in secondary and university education to nurture the next generation, to understand the value of good design and why it matters to all of us. It would that ensure young people will be more properly equipped to help solve tomorrows challenges. Meanwhile, business and design schools can partner to provide future leaders with hands-on experience. My alma mater, INSEAD (Singapore) did this with ArtCenter (Pasadena); while I may be biased, it was one of the best courses offered. Smart, future-focused companies understand the need for strategic design. It is neither a luxury nor a cost to cut. It is a core component of successful business strategy and contributor to the continuous improvement of human life. As we confront myriad present and future uncertainties, we need design to help us navigate complexity. Designers must have a seat at the decision-making table, but they must be equipped to speak the language of business to communicate clearly with those already there. Companies that embrace this paradigm and invest in design(ers) are the ones that will end up on topjust like they always have. This is a good outcome for us all, because in the end, design is an act of optimism. It creates something that looks forward and helps propel humanity towards tomorrow. And ultimately, isn’t that what life is all about? Lisa Gralnek is global head of sustainability and impact for iF Design, managing director of iF Design USA Inc., and creator/host of the podcast, FUTURE OF XYZ.
Category:
E-Commerce
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