Leadership Imperative – Balancing Technology, Personality and Empathy
As Leidar celebrates 15 years, we are looking ahead to the next 15. If the pace of change continues as in the past decade and a half, the journey ahead promises to be even more transformative. One insight, however, remains constant: the leadership navigation imperative is critical to the success of every organization, in every industry.
A few years ago, we did forecast that the coming decade would redefine communications through the fusion of AI, big data, and human insight, where deep listening and authentic engagement become the new competitive edge. Organizations must balance emotion with economics, as empathy evolves into a strategic driver of trust amid eroding media credibility.
Organizations must balance emotion with economics, as empathy evolves into a strategic driver of trust amid eroding media credibility.
In a fully digital, on-demand world, stakeholders expect hyper-relevant, personalized communication. As AI automates content creation, value will increasingly lie in integration, agility, and foresight across every level of the organization. In this reality, where truth and opinion, public and private, blur, the success belongs to those who own their narrative and lead with purpose, and cohesive precision.
While these trends continue to unfold, several megatrends are already reshaping how organizations engage externally:
- Blurring of truth, fake, and unreal: Younger generations (Gen Z and Alpha) are less concerned with factual accuracy than with content that entertains, yet they hold organizations to the highest standards of authenticity and sincerity.
- Geopolitics in the boardroom: Politics now directly influence corporate performance.
- Public affairs and government relations have become business-critical, not supportive, functions. Foresight and scenario analysis are indispensable leadership tools.
- Engagement as experience: In a hyper-digital world, human connection has regained importance. Post-COVID, organizations rediscover the power of in-person interactions — especially as AI tools dominate digital content creation.
- Functional integration: The lines between communications, public affairs, marketing, and corporate affairs continue to blur. Effective organizations break silos through deliberate organizational design and integrated strategy.
These global trends reinforce the Leadership Navigation Imperative, requiring leaders to:
- Base decisions on insights, not data alone – transforming information into actionable knowledge.
- Anticipate trends before they impact performance – leveraging foresight and socio-economic forecasting.
- Set a clear North Star – a strong organizational DNA with operational flexibility. The why must remain constant and relevant even as strategies evolve. Values and corporate behaviour drives authenticity.
- Lead with empathy – connecting to real human needs beyond incentives or trends.
- Champion personality – technology drives uniformity, so differentiation through authentic identity and leadership character is essential.
When we launched Leidar on 18 October 2010, our goal was to build an international boutique consultancy with partners in the world’s capitals of influence. We developed our Leadership Navigation methodology and built seamless collaboration across strategy, digital, visual, and engagement services.
We developed our Leadership Navigation methodology and built seamless collaboration across strategy, digital, visual, and engagement services.
At the same time, we set out to be a learning organisation, investing in thought leadership and perspectives. As we mark 15 years, it is only natural to reflect on what we have placed on the agenda throughout our history. Without overstating our achievements, many of our insights have proven prescient and increasingly relevant.
Leidar Milestones and Perspectives
2025 – Radical Acceleration
AI becomes indispensable for efficiency, yet “AI-washing” and compromised quality face exposure. Competitiveness and sustainability agendas must now coexist.
2024 – From ESG Reporting to Human Capital
ESG reporting reaches a plateau; attention shifts to human assets as the key to growth and resilience. Vertical integration of external-facing functions becomes critical.
2023 – Reprioritization of Everything:
Following the hybrid-work boom, in-person experiences return. Campaigns move from all-digital to omni-channel, emphasizing business impact over declarations.
2022 – The Unthinkable Becomes Routine:
The war in Ukraine shakes the foundations of the global West, driving a renewed search for purpose and direction beyond the ESG agenda.
2021 – The Year of Declarations:
Companies proclaim bold sustainability goals (“Net Zero by 2050”), forming coalitions often lacking robust data and strategy.
2020 – The Year of Rethink and Restart:
Ahead of the pandemic, our report at the SDG Tent in Davos emphasized the human dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Leidar’s Advocacy Lab was created to help clients pursue holistic sustainability.
2019 – Focus on Purpose:
At the European Communication Summit, we worked with over 500 communication leaders inspired by shared value and inclusive capitalism — defining purpose as the new North Star.
2018 – Mind the Gap:
Our Leadership Navigation Study revealed a disconnect between corporate promises and delivery on SDGs — urging companies to pair thought leadership with tangible solutions.
2017 – The Arrival of Fake News:
We warned that fake news threatens democracy itself, not just PR, undermining trust and complicating crisis communications.
2016 – Slow SDG Uptake:
Analysis of 162 companies showed slow alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
2015 – Essential Diversity:
At a Leidar event at the Graduate Institute, Geneva, experts agreed that diversity drives performance and innovation.
2014 – Media Revolution:
Traditional media shrank while journalists moved into corporate content. Global outlets shifted from news delivery to analysis, racing to reinvent business models.
2013 – Crowd Data Innovation:
We anticipated technologies like track-and-trace, showing how crowdsourced data would revolutionize crisis management.
2012 – Public-Private Partnerships:
Advocacy entered a new era of collaboration over confrontation, as multinationals, IGOs, and NGOs aligned on shared challenges.
2011 – World’s First Advocacy Degree:
Together with the Graduate Institute in Geneva, we launched Advocacy in International Affairs, the first academic program of its kind — training advocates now shaping global agendas.
Next 5, 10, 15…
The coming years will test leaders’ ability to balance technology, personality, and empathy. Those who succeed will not only adapt to disruption — they will navigate it with clarity, foresight, and humanity. Direct communication (by actors) will become more important than indirect (throug media), and all consumption of news and content will become highly individual built on the powers of AI.
Those who succeed will not only adapt to disruption — they will navigate it with clarity, foresight, and humanity.
Technology will continue to enable revolutionary changes in the way we communicate. Those who shape their distinct personalities and who are able to connect empathetically will rule. So this is why we take with us a firm believe in Leadership Navigation into the next fifteen years.
About Leidar
Leidar is an international leadership and corporate affairs consultancy, headquartered in Geneva with offices in Brussels, London, Oslo, Washington, New York, Singapore and Dubai. Leidar supports organisations in defining their strategic direction, managing complex issues, and mastering their communications and engagement needs. The firm works across sectors including energy, public health, aviation, shipping, and sustainability.
For more information, please contact
Rolf Olsen
Executive Chairman, based in Geneva
Rolf Olsen is founder and Executive Chairman of Leidar. He advises clients on strategy and narrative development; crisis management; and complex reputational issues on a global scale.
Lukasz Bochenek
Chief Executive Officer, based in Geneva
Lukasz is the CEO of Leidar, where he advises global companies and international organizations on navigating complex issues and stakeholder landscapes. His approach combines strategic management, commercial law, and human-centric anthropology to deliver clear direction and impact.