Understanding the long term trends impacting an organisation is one of the keys to reducing uncertainty and helping create robust strategies and resilient organisations. Strategic foresight helps organisations improve the quality of strategic thinking and brings new insights into the planning and budgeting process. Strategic foresight also helps organisations maintain awareness of the trends that have longer term impacts, monitor indicators of the directions of these trends, and focus initiatives on the long range opportunities.

So there is clearly a need for global leadership. But when the public look at what is on offer, they are not impressed. Many of the bankers and politicians caught dozing by the financial crisis were regulars at Davos. Ordinary folk trust Davos Man no more than they would a lobbyist for the Worldwide Federation of Weasels. A survey by Edelman, a public-relations firm, finds that only 18% of people trust business leaders to tell the truth. For political leaders, the figure is 13%.

The term “inquiring leader” refers to leaders at any level who are self-aware, curious, solution-oriented, and value asking questions as a core leadership skill. In general, the model and concept of inquiring leadership is meant to complement, supplement, enrich, and operationalize effective leadership thinking and behavior that lead to desired results.