Optimistic Leadership in the Never Normal: What ABF 2025 Taught Change Leaders
“It’s like there’s an apocalypse, and we still have to go to work.” Peter Hinssen’s line landed because it captures our new reality: uncertainty is not a phase anymore, it’s here to stay.
At Amsterdam Business Forum 2025, five keynote speakers – Peter Hinssen, Sanna Marin, Dr. Eliza Filby, Neil Pasricha, and Simon Sinek – each explored what optimistic leadership looks like in a world that simply won’t slow down.
It’s a theme close to our mission at SPRING TODAY: accelerating change capability within organizations. Across all five keynotes, one truth stood out – optimistic leadership = human leadership.
And for us, this year’s ABF 2025 was extra special
as we celebrated 10 years of SPRING TODAY and 5 years of CMP!
Peter Hinssen: Stop Doing “Yesterwork,” Build for the Day After Tomorrow
Peter Hinssen described the age we live in as the Never Normal: a world of constant motion where leaders must build the plane while flying it.
The biggest barrier to progress, he said, is not a lack of ideas but a calendar full of yesterwork: outdated reports, unnecessary meetings and emails, and slow decision cycles that keep teams trapped in the past.
“If you want something new,
you have to stop doing something old.”
He urged leaders to balance their focus across three horizons: today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. Most organizations spend all their time on the first two, managing current priorities and planning the near term, which leaves them no space to explore the ideas that could define their future. But it’s the “day after tomorrow” horizon where true innovation happens.
Hinssen explained that because of that, we don’t need puzzle solvers who wait for all the pieces to fit neatly together. We need mystery solvers: people who can move forward even when the picture isn’t clear yet.
He broke this mindset down into three critical skills organizations need to develop:
- Anticipation: build the capacity to spot weak signals and scan what’s coming before it arrives.
- Adaptability: build the change capabilities your organization needs to constantly adapt to new situations.
- Resilience: accept that not every experiment will succeed. Learn, reset, and move forward.
Try it yourself this month: Delete one meeting. Kill one report. Use that reclaimed hour to explore the “day after tomorrow.” Invite curious minds from different departments and ask: What’s one thing we should be experimenting with now that will matter two years from today?
Sanna Marin:
Reality, Action and Values
When the world turns uncertain, many leaders wait for stability to return. Sanna Marin challenged that idea head-on:
“Now is not the time to fall into despair, passivity, or denial.”
Her call to action was simple, yet powerful:
- Face reality with total and brutal honesty. Don’t sugarcoat. Don’t delay. Get a true grasp on reality.
- From there, take action. “You cannot control everything, but you can always control your own decisions,” she said. Progress, even if imperfect, builds confidence and keeps momentum alive.
- At last, stay true to your values, especially when it’s uncomfortable. Integrity is the thread that holds leadership together under pressure.
Marin reminded us that mistakes are inevitable: “Don’t worry too much about mistakes and things going wrong. Just continue. Focus on what you want to achieve.”
Try it yourself this quarter: start team updates with facts, not assumptions. Name one clear next step after every decision and link it to your core values. And when things go wrong, spend less time on blame and more time on what to do next. Optimism grows from movement, not from perfection!
Dr. Eliza Filby:
Leading Four Generations
Today’s workplace brings four different generations together – and if that wasn’t enough, AI has been thrown into the mix too! But, according to Dr. Eliza Filby, this situation is actually a big strength if we design for it.
“Ageism is the last acceptable prejudice.”
Filby warned against such easy labels and urged leaders to shift from frustration to curiosity about what each cohort brings: Gen Z’s experimentation and speed, and older generations’ depth, context, and critical thinking.
“The goal isn’t to split generations apart, but bringing the generations together, integrating AI by keeping us human and letting AI do the rest.”
That idea, of technology enabling and not replacing humanity, runs through all of her advice: “Rebuild the ‘invaluable things: listen, teach, care. Since 2020, these behaviors have declined, yet they are exactly what teams need most now.”
And of course, this requires optimism too. “Optimism is the belief that we can shape a future where generations don’t clash, but collaborate.”
This belief is already visible in forward-thinking organizations:
- UBS created a communication charter to align Gen Z and managers on everything from Zoom etiquette to email tone.
- Citibank launched reverse mentoring, where Gen Z teaches AI tools and Gen X provides judgment and critique – both sides learn, both sides grow.
- Fidelity introduced flexible eldercare support, recognising that caregiving applies to more than just parents with young children. Their solution also helps Gen Z support grandparents and keeps Baby Boomers in the workforce longer.
With an aging workforce, Filby urged leaders to treat upskilling as ageless. “Why can’t we have apprentices at 50?”.
Try it this month:
- Run 30-minute teach-learn loops: a senior shares client context; a junior demos an AI workflow.
- Create a team communication charter (one page): response times, channels, meeting basics, “camera-on” norms, and client etiquette.
- Audit one policy for care (e.g., elder-care flexibility) to retain mid-career talent and reduce silent attrition across generations.
Neil Pasricha:
Happiness that Fuels Performance
be happy → do great work → achieve big success
“Happiness is a daily practice that builds mental strength and focus. When people are happier, they collaborate better, handle setbacks faster, and think more creatively.”
To help leaders put that into practice, Pasricha shared two simple rituals anyone can do daily:
Two-minute morning (before you look at your phone):
- I will let go of…
- I am grateful for…
- I will focus on…
Two-minute evening:
- Put your phone away an hour before bed.
- Play Rose, Rose, Thorn, Bud (two wins, one challenge, one thing you’re looking forward to) with someone you love – or even your team.
- Read two pages of fiction to build empathy and perspective, both key leadership skills.
He left the room with a thought that stuck: “It’s easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking than think yourself into a new way of acting.”
Try it yourself this week: start every morning with the two-minute exercise before checking your phone. End team meetings with “Rose, Rose, Thorn, Bud” to share gratitude and challenges openly. You’ll be surprised how small rituals build lasting optimism and better performance.
Simon Sinek:
Trust as the Foundation of Optimism
Simon Sinek’s keynote tied the day together with a single, clear idea about optimism:
“Optimism is not blind positivity. It’s the belief that the future can be bright, while recognizing that the road there will be difficult. You can acknowledge that times will be tough, yet still trust that if we face it together, we will get through it – together.”
That last word – together – was the heart of his talk. “None of us can do it alone,” he said. In a time obsessed with individual performance, Sinek urged leaders that true strength doesn’t come from perfection, but from connection instead.
So, what if we focus on rebuilding trust in the workplace?
According to Simon, this begins with availability – instead of vulnerability:
“Opposed to common beliefs, I actually don’t like the word vulnerable anymore. Be available instead!”
Being available means being present, approachable, and steady – willing to admit mistakes, to ask for help, to say “I don’t know” when you don’t. Availability creates safety. And in turn, safety builds trust. Closing a full circle here!
But…being available also means asking for help:
“We don’t build trust by offering help. We build trust by asking for it.”
It’s a small but powerful shift: when leaders ask for help, they show humility and confidence in their teams. That mutual reliance creates belonging, and it’s the kind that fuels optimism even when things get tough.
Sinek illustrated this idea with a simple habit he shares with a close friend. “Whenever one of us needs to talk, we ask: ‘Do you have 8 minutes?’ Because come on, everyone has at least a few minutes to spare!”
These are the moments that keep the connection human.
“We are all wearing tech devices and are so obsessed with the metrics, but we’ve forgotten the value of the process. We’ve forgotten the value of the heart. It’s not just the head.
Become students of leadership. Become a better version of yourself. Learn the human skills, not the skills of the head, but the skills of the heart. Learn how to be there for eachother, how to hold space, how to be there when somebody needs help and how to ask for help yourself. Because if we work together, mark my words, we will change the world we live in today….. For the better.
The message is clear: navigating change is human-centric. It is about the daily act of talking, learning, and caring for each other. That’s what builds trust. And that’s what makes the results matter.
Try it yourself this month: pick one challenge you’re facing and ask a colleague or your team for help. Create a small, clear help signal (like “Got 8 minutes?”) to make asking easy. And when sharing tough news, pair the reality with the next step forward. Optimism grows when people feel trusted and included in the process.
Watch the ABF 2025 aftermovie
Want to see these ideas in action?
Watch the aftermovie and share this article with your team
to spark a conversation about leadership in the Never Normal!