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INSPIRATION FOR LEADERS & COACHESMarch 2026 | |
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I hope you are very well, and safe.
The world, it turns out, is having quite a year. Geopolitical tectonic plates are shifting. Trust in institutions continues its impressive downward trajectory. AI is simultaneously the answer to everything and, some say, busy eating its own users. Meanwhile, CEOs, bless them, are less confident about short-term growth while pressing ahead with long-term reinvention — which is either visionary leadership or a coping mechanism. Possibly both.
And yet.
Amid the heavy topics and complexity assembled in this edition, it is worth noting that there is something quietly energizing. The leaders, researchers, and institutions featured here are not wringing their hands — they are thinking hard, asking good questions, and pointing toward action.
In this newsletter you will find a tour of the forces reshaping the world your organization operates in: from geopolitical risk to the trust deficit that must help redefine what leadership legitimacy means. You will find research on what it actually takes to grow, what leaders at every level are struggling with most, and how different cultures think about morality and ethics — a useful reminder for anyone working across borders. And you will find, as a closing gift, a speech that several observers have called one of the finest pieces of public leadership communication in recent memory.
My recommendation: read with a notebook nearby. Not because you will need to take action on everything — you won't, and shouldn't try — but because the best ideas tend to arrive sideways, while you are reading about something else entirely.
Wishing you clarity, courage, and good nights.
Warmly, Jean-François Cousin, MCC
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The newsletter ‘menu’ in a snapshot:
The flow of our curated thought-leadership pieces mirrors the way a thoughtful leader might process the environment they are operating — in gradual movement from world → business → leadership → individual → inspiration —.
- Eurasia Group — 2026 is a tipping point year (the geopolitical stage on which everything else plays out)
- PwC 29th Global CEO Survey — Leading Through Uncertainty (how business leaders are responding to that world)
- BCG — The Geopolitical Forces Shaping Business in 2026 (strategic granularity to the geopolitical-business interface)
- Edelman Trust Barometer (the trust crisis as a call to action)
- CCL — The Most Common Challenges of Leadership at Every Level (what leaders are struggling with right now)
- McKinsey — Achieving Growth: Putting Leadership Mindsets into Action (what effective leaders actually do)
- Pew Research — Global Views on Morality (A reflective, thought-provoking piece deepening and broadening perspectives)
- Mark Carney's Davos Address (a masterclass in leadership communication and a call to engaged, principled leadership)
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2026 Is A Tipping Point Year (Eurasia Group's Annual Forecast) | |
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Top Risks is non-partisan Eurasia Group's annual forecast of the political risks that are most likely to play out over the course of the year (it was published on 5 January 2026).
2026 is a tipping point year, a time of great geopolitical uncertainty. Not because there's imminent conflict between the two biggest powers, the United States and China—that isn't even a top risk, it's a red herring this year.
There's not (yet, at least) a second Cold War, with a rising China remaking the global system to its own liking, the Americans and allies resisting. Nor do tensions between the United States and Russia threaten to spiral out of control despite a war raging in Europe, the result of Vladimir Putin's longstanding grievances against the US-led order.
The United States is itself unwinding its own global order and is in the throes of a political revolution.
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Leading Through Uncertainty In The Age Of AI Calls For Reinvention (PwC's 29th Global CEO Survey) | |
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It’s often said that successful leaders need both a microscope and a telescope to help them identify near-term threats while spotting long-term opportunities. This tension across time horizons is a recurring theme in PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey, based on responses from 4,454 chief executives across 95 countries and territories, which finds that successful CEOs are reinventing their companies with technology and seeking growth opportunities in new sectors, even as they see elevated threats ahead.
CEOs see a world beset by challenges in 2026. They’ve grown significantly less confident about the short-term growth outlook for their companies and more worried about a range of threats, including macroeconomic volatility, cyber risk, and geopolitical conflict. At the same time, they’re focusing on multi-year opportunities to reinvent the business. CEOs are forging ahead with investment in AI even though immediate returns are often elusive. They’re prioritising innovation. And many are entering new sectors as they lean into a reconfiguration of industries that’s reshaping the global economy.
Importantly, CEOs moving fast on these dimensions of reinvention are outperforming their peers.
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The Geopolitical Forces Shaping Business in 2026 (BCG) | |
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The paradigms that CEOs, boards, and policy makers have relied on are giving way to new multi-polarities, alliances, and sources of competition and disruption. - The overarching trend is a global shift toward increasing multipolarity as more geopolitical actors vie to shape the global environment for businesses.
- BCG is distinguishing six emerging arenas of competition for business that are centered around global markets and supply chain security, as well as the development of, or access to, industrial, technological, and human capabilities.
- Since these battlegrounds can be sources of both opportunity and risk, organizations need to navigate them with foresight, strategic adjustments, and preemptive risk management.
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Edelman's Latest Trust Barometer: A Severe Call For Action To Anyone In A Position Of Leadership | |
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The 25th anniversary edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer presents very grim data and has revealed a profound shift to acceptance of aggressive action, with political polarization and deepening fears giving rise to a widespread sense of grievance.
It showcases how a generation of institutional failures erupts into grievances and push us to the brink.
The report is a severe call for action to anyone in a position of leadership.
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The Most Common Challenges Of Leadership At Every Level (CCL) | |
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Based on the extensive study of what over 48,000 leaders have identified as their most critical leadership challenges over the past several years, The Center for Creative Leadership presents the current biggest challenges of leadership — the top 5 challenges faced by leaders at each level of an organization — ranked by their relevance post-pandemic.
For Frontline Managers - Frustrations with people and time
- First time managing people
- Deficient operational processes
- Team performance
- Personal improvement
For Mid-Level Managers - Personal limitations
- Challenging business context
- Ineffective interpersonal style
- Cross-functional influence
- Competing people and project priorities
For Senior Leaders - Credibility gaps
- Limited market / sales growth
- Process improvement across groups
- Limited self-awareness
- Transitioning into a new role
For Executives - Dynamic business environment
- Strategic responsibilities
- Interpersonal rigidity
- Organizational readiness
- Lack of cooperation
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Growth Requires The Right Mix Of Outlook, Strategy, And Capabilities - Top Leaders Achieve Their Goals By Turning Five Mindsets Into Action (McKinsey) | |
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For CEOs and top executives everywhere, growing profitably is the ultimate fitness goal. It’s a long-term athletic pursuit that drives significant value. That said, achieving and sustaining growth is tough work. Previous McKinsey research found that only one in ten companies maintained above-GDP growth and remained in the S&P 500 over 30 years. Growth demands courage, dedication, and discipline.
McKinsey’s new survey research has found that while many leaders believe they’ve adopted and implemented productive mindsets for growth, these attitudes and ambitions don’t always translate into the behaviors and actions necessary to drive growth, which revolve around: - Invest in growth, even in turbulent times
- Be audacious on growth
- Listen to your customers - for real
- Rally a dream team for growth
- Derisk growth by executing with excellence
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Global Views On Morality (The Pew Research Center) | |
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The non-partisan Pew Research Center asked people in 25 countries to rate the morality and ethics of others in their country. The results are as interesting as they are important for anyone working globally.
I invite you to invest a few minutes learning and reflecting about their main findings.
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A Masterclass In Public Speaking - The Special Address By Mark Carney (Canada's PM at Davos 2026) | |
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The special address by Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, at Davos 2026, was widely characterized as a once-in-decades, new-era defining speech. It is a recommended read/watch for leaders wishing to update their grasp of geopolitics and their potential impact on economies.
The Canadian PM emphasized the end of the rules-based international order and outlined how Canada was adapting by building strategic autonomy while maintaining values like human rights and sovereignty.
He called for middle powers to work together to counter the rise of hard power and the great power rivalry, in order to build a more cooperative, resilient world.
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Sources Of Inspiration For Leaders And For Coaches | |
For Leaders: my Top 4 Articles about Leadership in Forbes
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For Coaches: my Top 3 Webinars on YouTube
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10 leçons et 10 conseils pratiques pour coacher magistralement (20k+ views) | (In French - insights and tips for masterful coaching derived from my first 10,000 sessions and my first 10,000 mistakes 😉)
| | Coaching Demo: Coaching an Overwhelmed Client (13k+ views) | (In English, featuring a session where my client and I partner against chaos in her environment 😉)
| | Coaching the Whole of the Client (5k+ views in 5 months) | In this fast-paced episode of ‘TNM Coaching Unplugged’, my friend Zoran Todorovic and I share insights and fun stories about how coaching ‘the whole person’ leads to deeper transformation, sustainable success, and more fulfilling leadership journeys.
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Snapshots For Travel Lovers | |
I am so grateful for the privilege of traveling the world to speak about coaching and leadership or to coach leadership teams in their own environment.
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I was delighted to unwind for a week in The Maldives between nearby clients’ engagements and I am happy to share 50 shades of blue with you, which may offer you a least 5 benefits according to science. - Physiological Impact: blue light is a "short-wavelength" color that slows down the human nervous system, helping people relax three times faster than white light
- Biological & Evolutionary Association: our brain associates blue with the calm and vastness of the sky and the sea, and our concerns seem small in comparison
- Psychological Comfort: blue is associated with reliability, trust, and stability, creating a sense of being safe and protected
- Mood Regulation: blue light encourages the brain to release serotonin, which regulates mood and helps reduce stress
- Reduced Mental Effort: unlike bright colors like red or orange, blue is a "cool" color that does not demand much cognitive load, allowing the mind to slow down and rest
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I wish you and your loved ones a relaxing and revitalizing 'blue' weekend ahead 😊
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Here's to the Greatness in You! | |
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