Episode Details

Graeme Codrington and Dean Van Leeuwen open this month’s episode with a reflection on the volatility in and around the Middle East, not to add another layer of commentary to the news cycle, but to ask a more strategic question: how should leaders think when certainty is in short supply?

Using the grey elephant lens, they can see multipolarity happening in real time, alongside the changing face of warfare, and the wider geopolitical shifts that are reshaping trade, power, and supply chains.

Looking at the increasingly important signals we’re seeing on the grey elephant radar, hear what the decline of flying insects could mean for food systems, and the growing use of AI in medical research, where data analysis is opening up new possibilities in diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care of diseases including cancer.

Our interview this month is with Zavier Coyne, founder of Gen Z Coach, who explains to Graeme why the current generational conversation is about more than the usual “young versus old” dynamic.

Zavier argues that Gen Z are the first truly digitally native generation, and that this matters not only because of how fluent they are with technology, but because digital systems have shaped their communication, expectations, behaviour, and development from the start. The conversation looks at what this means for leaders trying to build multi-generational teams, how organisations can develop stronger generational intelligence, and why the real opportunity may be bigger than adapting to younger workers. It may be a chance to rehumanise work altogether.

Key takeaways

🌍 Reading the world through instability

Volatility is no longer an exception to manage, but a context to operate within - demanding clearer thinking in the absence of certainty.

🧭 Multipolarity as operating reality

Global influence is increasingly distributed, with power expressed through shifting alliances, economic leverage, and regional dynamics rather than a single dominant force.

🐝 The decline of flying insects

A sharp drop in insect populations highlights as a growing risk to food production, pollination, and the systems that underpin global agriculture.

🧬 AI where it matters most

Beyond the noise, the most meaningful impact of AI may lie in its ability to unlock insight from complexity - particularly in areas like health and scientific discovery.

📱 The digital native shift

A generation shaped by immersive digital environments brings fundamentally different assumptions about communication, feedback, and engagement.

💬 Behaviour shaped by environment

Workplace expectations are increasingly influenced by the systems people grow up in, not just by individual attitudes or preferences.

🤝 Generational intelligence as a leadership skill

Effective leadership now requires the ability to understand, navigate, and connect across generational contexts - not simply manage them.

🚀 Growth, ownership, and accountability

Performance is strengthened when individuals feel both empowered in their work and connected to something larger than themselves.

🧑‍💼 Rehumanising work

As technology accelerates, the opportunity emerges to redesign work around distinctly human strengths - creativity, connecti