At Chief Disruptor LIVE in June, we welcomed a lively and dynamic group of disruptors, innovators and change-makers to share ideas and brainstorm strategies for competitive advantage in a fast-moving world.

It turned out to be a celebration of the disruptive mindset in action; jam-packed with ‘a-ha moments’, inspirational ‘nuggets’ and actionable insights. I’ll try to distil just some of the positive energy, creative thinking and ideas generated in that room, into a few key take-aways!

Leadership, mindset and culture

• We all have to be agents of change. Disruption has to be part of our organisation’s DNA.
• Building trust is key: ‘Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care’.
• Inspiring people requires a clarity of purpose and allowing people the space to identify how it is done.
• Psychological safety comes from saying to employees that it’s ok to make mistakes so long as you learn from them.
• Reinforce a customer-focused mindset. Always keep an empty chair in the room to remind yourself that you should be speaking to your customers. Or better yet, just speak to them!
• Challenging the status quo is something to be proud of. Don’t shy away from challenging conversations.
• Be sector and age-agnostic: don’t be afraid to move around roles and learn from other sectors and experiences. It's never too late to embrace change!

Unlocking insight for competitive advantage

• The challenge is leveraging existing data to enhance customer experience, ensuring value and convenience are at the forefront.
• Interoperability remains a significant concern due to the excessive volume and disparate sources of data. The key is making data communicate effectively.
• The real issue isn't the lack of data, but rather the multitude of data problems. Simplifying and defining data clearly is essential for functionality and integration.
• Understanding what data means and how it will interact with core functions is crucial. This clarity allows for more effective system communication.
• Bringing AI to life has demonstrated to our boards the necessity of maintaining high-quality data, reinforcing the importance of strong data foundations.

Re-invent operating models to adapt and innovate

• Decentralise to enable more ownership and speed of decision-making. ‘You don’t have to have the whole machine turning, just one bit of it.’
• Apply design thinking to create an adaptive organisation that thrives in a volatile environment.
• Beware of ‘process for process sake’! Embrace the newness of AI as an opportunity to think differently about whether your processes are fit for purpose.
• Many organisations still struggling with the fundamentals such as data overload and interoperability. The advent of AI is raising the stakes of getting this under control.

Gen AI impact and readiness

• Gen AI will unleash and augment human creativity and potential: wide consensus among members supports the viral Joanna Maciejewska quote, “ I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do laundry and dishes
• Members brainstormed a wide range of use cases from a broad range of industry perspectives. Lots of commonalities in concerns and the size of the opportunity.
• Data quality is more important than ever in a Gen AI world: more than ever: poor data = poor outcomes
• Be careful with Gen AI mislabelling and assumptions. Make sure you are clear about what it means and what you want to do with it.
• Gen AI is often driven by C-suite with senior stakeholders pushing to ‘do something with Gen AI’ now. Need to reframe this and lead with the business problem, not the solution.
• Improved democratisation of data and accessibility comes with security challenges but on balance, the positive creative benefits outweigh the risks.