Month: May 2025

I used to think that good leadership includes having a clear roadmap, one that is precise, reliable, and carefully planned.  But over time, I have realized that the most difficult challenges are the ones where no map can anticipate.  Because leadership today is not about going through straight paths, it is leading through storms you didn’t see coming.

During The Black Swan Effect, our INAC Global flagship event recently held in Mexico City, we explored what it means to lead in times when unpredictability is the normal way. What really happened during this event? I walked into the meeting room thinking about strategies, and then I walked out reflecting on something deeper, on how we do lead when what used to work no longer applies.

That is when I realized that sometimes, the most powerful leaders aren’t the ones who know exactly where they are going.  They are the ones who carry a strong compass.

• A compass guided by intuition; that quiet sense that helps you notice what others overlook.
• A compass ground in purpose; the reason you keep moving forward, even when the road ahead is not clear.
• And a compass shaped by adaptability; the ability to change direction, adjust your approach, and start over when old ways no longer work.

We spoke a lot during the event about the dangers of certainty, about how what made us successful yesterday can become our blind spot.  I have seen it in teams that cling to past wins, in decisions made from fear of letting go, in leaders who confuse control with direction.

But holding space for questions, for doubt, for emerging ideas is now one of the boldest things a leader can do.  It is not weakness, it is trust. Trust in the process, in the people, in the mission.  It is leading without pretending to have the map, but with the courage to guide others using your inner compass.

I want to leave this with you:

• We do not need to have all this figured out.  We need to be grounded, to be present.  And we need to lead, not with all answers, but with the willingness to ask powerful questions.
• We need leaders who create space for reflection, for new thinking, for others to bring their voice.  The one who dares to say he/she doesn’t know yet, and trusts is the process while clarity emerges.
• Maybe leadership today is not about being right, maybe it is about being ready to pause, rethink, and to unlearn.
• The most courageous thing a leader can do is to walk forward without a map, but with a compass that others can follow.

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René Johnson, Managing Director, Pacific Search Partners (INAC Australia)

René is an experienced Executive Search Consultant with a career spanning both corporate and consulting worlds. As the Founder and Managing Director of Pacific Search Partners, he leads a boutique Executive Search firm specialising in the appointment of Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, CEOs, and senior Executives across listed companies, private enterprises, government agencies, and not-for-profits.

He has advised on more than 450 Board and Executive appointments in Australia and internationally. In addition to his search work, René is a past President of INAC Global Executive Search and has held a number of Board and advisory roles.

A longstanding partner of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Governance Institute of Australia, René has supported more than a thousand emerging Non-Executive Directors in navigating and building their Board careers.

René Johnson

Pacific Search Partners

For a long time, we thought leadership was about certainty.  We reward the one who talks first, decides fastest, and seems to have it all figured out.  But in an era of Black Swans, what if leadership isn’t about knowing more, and it is about holding space for those still figuring it out?

This was one of the key questions that emerged during The Black Swan Effect, Preparing Leadership and Businesses for the Unexpected, our flagship event at the INAC Global Annual Meeting in Mexico City, where we explored what it really means to lead in the face of disruption.

To lead today is to hold space for uncertainty, for ideas in progress, and for voices that need time to find clarity.  It means being calm in the noise.  The one who listens without judgment, who dares to say “I don’t know yet”, and creates psychological safety for others to say it too.

In our The Black Swan Effect event, we explored how leadership in uncertain times, as we are living, is less about control and more about support, that means …

▪️ less about control and more about psychological safety,

▪️ less about solutions, more about connections,

▪️ less about perfection, more about presence.

What stood out was the recurring idea that in moments of high disruption, people don’t just look for direction, they look for grounding, for leaders who give them space to think, to question, and to grow.  Not in spite of the uncertainty, but because of it.

So, as my article title suggests, what does it mean to “hold space”? It means …

▪️ Staying present when others are unsure.

▪️ Leading with empathy, not just authority.

▪️ Encouraging diverse through instead of rushing to consensus.

▪️ Trusting the process when clarity hasn’t yet arrived.

TAKE NOTE:

– Leadership today is not about knowing more. It is about making it safe not to know and building the kind of culture where questions become catalysts for change.

– In unpredictable challenges, holding space for others to think, feel, and grow may be the boldest thing a leader can do.

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Marcela D’Alessio, Board Member INAC Global and Partner INAC Peru

Global executive search partner at INAC Perú and Coach with a distinguished career in business and marketing—including her role as Marketing Director at Procter & Gamble—she brings deep expertise in corporate and family businesses. Her background in Business Administration and Accounting along with an MBA allows her to provide strategic, high-impact executive talent solutions.

Marcela D’Alessio

INAC Perú – Global Executive Search

Some conversations don’t end when the event is over, they echo.  That is exactly what happened during our recent 53rd INAC Global Annual Meeting in Mexico City.

The Black Swan Effect, Preparing Leadership and Businesses for the Unexpected, which brought together global talent experts, board members and leaders from various industries, challenged us to rethink how we prepare ourselves, talent and organizations for the unpredictable.  We spoke about risk, disruption, purpose, and decision-making under pressure, but what resonated most with me was something less obvious, yet deeply powerful …

Sometimes, our greatest obstacle is not what we don’t know … but what we are sure we do.

Uncertainty doesn’t ask for permission; it forces its way in. What once made us successful can quickly become a blind spot. Familiar models, proven strategies, and long-standing expertise can become our mental traps that limit our ability to see, sense, and respond.

And that is where agility begins.  Not in fast action, not in changing processes, not in confidence … instead, in deep awareness, in challenging perspectives and in humility.

The leaders who thrive today aren’t those who react faster, they are those who unlearn faster, who can let go of outdated assumptions, who cultivate adapting thinking as practice, not just a reaction.

At INAC Global Executive Search , we see this every day in our work with senior executives across industries and continents. The capacity to adapt is no longer a competitive advantage.  It is a survival trait. And it’s one we must train for.

So let me leave you with a few powerful questions we explored during our The Black Swan Effect event:

▪️ What part of your leadership is still rooted in past success?

▪️ What truths need to be revisited before they become barriers?

▪️ Are you building a team that is rewarded for agility or punished for changing the course?

As we continue shaping the future of executive search, we must also shape the future of leadership.  Because the next disruption won’t wait for us to be ready.

REMEMBER, the best prepared leader is not the one who know the most … but the one who is most willing to rethink everything they thought they knew.

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Rui Borges, President INAC Global Executive Search and Managing Partner Ad Capita (INAC Portugal)

Rui is the founder and Managing Partner of Ad Capita Executive Search (𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗖 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗹), a preeminent retained Executive Search firm in Portugal since 2001.   A recognized seasoned Executive Recruiter for the past 25 years, Rui has been identifiying and placing senior-level executives across sectors and geographies and has always devoted himself to emerging leaders and the buildout of executive talent pipelines.   Rui is also Co-founder of our network, 𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗖 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹, one of the leading Executive Search networks in the world. Having served this organization for over 30 years and held a variety of roles during that time, most recently as its President, Rui has always focused his energy and intercultural intelligence on building and leading a global team to drive growth, entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity to provide first-rate talent advisory services across the globe.

Rui Borges

Ad Capita Executive Search