Future skills as management tools for CEOs and boards of directors

Human Competence and Artificial Intelligence as Leadership Tools

The two exclusive Viavanta events for CEOs and Board Members in June 2025 made one thing clear: the future is human. The participants experienced an inspiring keynote by Dr. Arndt Pechstein and Dr. Martin Schwemmle from The Future Company. During the subsequent lively discussion, the tension between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Intelligence (HI) was the focus—and what this specifically means for one's own leadership role.

AI is changing the rules of the game at a breathtaking pace. Decisions need to be made faster, more complex, and under greater uncertainty than ever before. Yet, while technological development is advancing exponentially, our human thinking often remains trapped in linear paths. That's precisely why a Growth Mindset—the belief that abilities and mindsets can be developed through learning and experience—becomes a key competence. Only those who are willing to question the old, allow new things, and continuously learn remain truly capable of leadership in a radically changing world.

Future Skills are the solid currency of future-proof leadership:

Future Courage: Making decisions even when the outcome is uncertain.
Fog Competence: Staying capable of action in unclear situations and daring to take the first step without knowing the exact path.
Critical Thinking: Radically questioning existing assumptions—and sometimes consciously disagreeing.
Psychological Safety: Creating spaces where open thinking, mistakes, and honest dialogue are possible.
Experimental Enthusiasm: Allowing new ideas, experimenting, learning—without the fear of failure.
Value and Purpose Orientation: Providing orientation, even when the world around you is changing.

Self-Image vs. Reality: The Honest Look in the Leadership Mirror

Using an interactive tool, the CEOs and Board Members present reflected on the manifestation of their own Future Skills—and the maturity of their leadership organizations. The results: Sobering and motivating at the same time.

Typical patterns from the evaluations and discussions:

Future Courage? Highly developed—most leaders see themselves as drivers of change.
Fog Competence? Critically low. It became clear here: Leadership in unclear situations is difficult. Providing orientation without having clear answers is a real challenge.
Experimental Enthusiasm? Too often blocked by old patterns and risk avoidance.
Psychological Safety? Some positive examples, but no widespread anchoring.

Especially in terms of self-criticism, it was noticeable: CEOs and Board Members openly questioned whether and how they themselves act as role models—in terms of transparency, error culture, and the willingness to endure uncertainty.

From IQ to WeQ – Collaboration as a Future Competence for Top Leadership

One of the most striking learnings from the events: Lived teamwork is not a nice-to-have but a crucial future competence at the top of the organization.

In a world where individual knowledge (IQ) can increasingly be replaced or supplemented by AI, the collective intelligence quotient (WeQ) becomes the central currency of future-proof organizations.

What does this mean concretely for the top leadership?

Less Lone-Wolf Leadership, More Team Leadership
Future-proof organizations emerge where leadership teams think together, challenge each other, allow dissent, and navigate uncertainty together.
Psychological Safety as a Prerequisite for WeQ
Only in a culture where open expression, dissent, and mistakes are possible can genuine collective intelligence arise.
Shared Responsibility with Clear Direction
WeQ does not mean a lack of leadership but clear leadership while maximizing the activation of collective competences.
Cultural Lever for Transformation
CEOs and Boards significantly shape whether silo thinking or joint future crafting dominates in their organizations. Joint crafting and taking responsibility must start at the top, otherwise, they remain lip service without impact.

Future Skills at Top Leadership Level – the Key Takeaways

Growth Mindset Starts at the Top
Belief in one's potential for development and harnessing the full potential of the organization is not an HR project. It is a fundamental attitude. Statements like "We don't have a strategy for that" or "It has worked well so far" are clear signals of a Fixed Mindset—and this is precisely where leaders must intervene and promote a Growth Mindset by recognizing and breaking down blockades and visibly demonstrating a willingness to learn in their own behavior.
Fog Competence as a Leadership Task
The participants agreed: Leadership does not mean having all the answers but creating dialogue spaces, making decisions under uncertainty together—and revising them if necessary. A central question from the discussion is: "What does my team need to remain capable of action despite uncertainty?"
Error Culture – Not as a Buzzword, but as Lived Reality
An impulse from the event: "If no mistakes are happening with us, we should become suspicious." Participants discussed concrete mechanisms to strengthen psychological safety and live an error culture—from consciously addressing mistakes to openly dealing with one's own uncertainties.
Making Cultural Change Visible
Change does not happen through strategic PowerPoint presentations but through daily role modeling. CEOs and Boards must be brave themselves, question their own routines, and invest in the collective learning ability of the organization. Culture is a top priority.
From IQ to WeQ – Collaboration Begins at the Top
Future viability is not achieved by solitary decisions in ivory towers but through collective thinking and joint action. CEOs and Boards must create spaces for dissent, diversity of perspectives, and collaborative problem-solving—and model what true eye-level collaboration looks like.

Conclusion

The events showed: The will to change is there. Now, action is needed. Growth Mindset, Psychological Safety, collective intelligence, and cultural change start at the top. Those who want to shape the future must endure uncertainty, allow dissent, and be role models themselves. Because one thing is clear: Technology drives change—whether we want it to or not.

Whether companies react or design is decided at the very top.

Dr. Martin Schwemmle

The Future Company

"The future does not ask for certainties, but for attitude. Those who want change must remain flexible. Do not cling to old recipes, but look for new questions. This requires the willingness to admit not knowing something (yet) and to seek together with others. I experienced this attitude and willingness at the events."

Dr. Arndt Pechstein

The Future Company

"The design of the future begins in the here and now, with a status quo assessment, an unvarnished look at the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. But also at one's own person as a leader. What excited me? The willingness for self-reflection, the courage to see and tackle change potentials, and positive examples of how it can succeed."

Dr. Martin Schwemmle, economist, innovation researcher, and communication expert, and Dr. Arndt Pechstein, neuroscientist, biomimicry specialist, and transformation expert, combine scientific expertise with practical implementation. With their company The Future Company, they focus on the topic of Future Skills—and have jointly developed the Future Skills Navigator: a tool that supports leaders and organizations in identifying, specifically promoting, and strategically developing future competencies.