Time for more transformational leadership?

As Martin Wolf stated at the beginning of the FT’s Future of Capitalism series, although "it is impossible at such a turning point to know where we are going, … the transformation will surely go deepest in the financial sector itself".

The following scenario from a wonderful book for people leading transformational change indicates how radically different financial services could be in the future:

• "In 2025, Philadelpia Quaker Health [PQH] is the most trusted and respected name in health care.
• [It] has close to one billion members globally.
• Once fully vested, members’ income and life care through death is guaranteed and at least half of their economic assets become more fully integrated into PQH’s Intergenerational Trust.
• [Stakeholders] are fully committed to personal, family and organisational initiatives to increase good health … and adult development.
• Senior peers choose their time of death.
• The Good Life 500 [including PQH] has continued to gain market share by comparison to the Fortune 500, the global governmental sector, and the traditional religious and educational not-for-profits".

An easy way for aspiring leaders to keep an eye on the trends that are shaping the context within which their evolving organisations and societies exist is to sign up to Outsight’s "21 Drivers for the 21st Century" e-mails.

These and similar resources help more people develop the "prospective mind" (one that’s ready to help create imaginative systemic change at times of crisis) called for by Thomas Homer-Dixon in the "The Upside of Down".