iplomatic Courier and GEC Risk Advisory are pleased to announce the second annual edition of the “ESGT Megatrends Manual” launched today on the occasion of World Economic Forum’s Spring Davos meetings. The publication is intended as an annual check-in on the most important multi-year global megatrends involving ESGT issues—systemic, strategic, and more tactical—that should be top of mind for all leaders—whether in business, non-profits, or government, as they lead and participate in strategic and tactical risk and opportunity planning and implementation.
Read and download the entire manual for free here.
The Year Systemic Situational Awareness Became an Imperative
It’s time for the world to recognize that we are living in an era of continuous risk and crisis and that denying it, avoiding it, or considering it a passing thing is no longer tenable. The truth is that the 21 Century has been a century—so far—of periodic, diverse, and material environmental, social, governance and technological (ESGT) shocks to the global system. A look at the (incomplete) list in Table 1 should suffice to make this point.
Why is this year’s Megatrends Manual’s subtitle “The Year Systemic Situational Awareness Became an Imperative”? If there ever was a time when each of us needed to readjust our gaze on the horizon, it’s now. After two years of a global pandemic, dire climate developments and warnings, the first regional brutal war in Europe in decades and the threat of more of the same for the foreseeable future—pandemics, climate catastrophes and war—we must get out of our comfort zones and understand these new dynamics so that we can help steer our respective organizations, communities and nations in the right and most beneficial direction.
The geopolitical/environmental map of the North Pole (Years 2000-2099) below helps to make my point— it is time to adjust our lenses—glasses, microscopes, and telescopes—to gain a more powerful situational awareness of how to navigate the new, challenging shoals we are and will be in for decades to come.
The World from Above, the North Pole
Each year, the ESGT Megatrends Manual examines a handful of ESGT Megatrends to dissect and illustrate, using some of the best, most useful data from premier global resources ranging from the World Economic Forum and major university research centers to the Allianz Risk Barometer, the Council on Foreign Relations, and other leading practical thought leadership sources. And we provide cases of both risk and opportunity, of downside and upside, that help illustrate the Megatrends.
The ESGT Megatrends Manual is intended to be a practical handbook for any type of leader of any type of organization or sector to use as a big picture guide to understand ESGT context and critical situational awareness and to help develop actionable ideas for strategy, innovation, resilience, and sustainability. Each megatrend discussion culminates in a “Leadership to Do’s” section providing actionable takeaways to consider. The E-book ends with a summary overview of all five megatrends leadership to do’s laid out as an ESGT Megatrends Blueprint for the coming year.
What’s New? The Five Megatrends of 2022-2023
The Table above shows a sneak preview of the 2022-2023 ESGT Megatrends and the Table below showshow they have evolved from last year’s edition.
How is the Approach to Each Megatrend Organized?
- Definition and brief explanation of how it fits into the ESGT discussion—is it primarily an environmental, social, governance, or technological issue, risk, or opportunity?
- The danger and the risk of the megatrend is explored through illustrative data, cases, and analysis
- The promise and the opportunity of the megatrend is explored through illustrative data, cases, and analysis
Each megatrend discussion concludes with practical, actionable leadership “to do’s”
What Is, and Why “ESGT”?
My readers are probably familiar with the now ubiquitous concept of ESG (environmental, social, governance) which in the past few years has become a mainstay of the business and financial world and, increasingly, the regulatory as well as the object of politically polarized and even bellicose stakeholder discussions.
I have argued elsewhere that ESG (or what I like to call ESGT—see below) is about much more than what the investor community says it is. Speaking from the standpoint of an entity and its key stakeholders—whether business, NGO, or even governmental—ESG is about organizational resilience, strategic long-term sustainability, and serving the interests and expectations of key stakeholders.
I developed the concept of ESG + technology or ESGT in my 2020 book Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk into Resilience and Value where I made the case that if businesses and other types of organizations are concerned about, and organizing themselves around, the intangible risks and opportunities that we are calling ESG, they would make a big mistake to not think of the many and rapidly surging technological issues, risks, and opportunities we deal with as people, entities, and nations every day. See Table below. I make the case more directly in this World Economic Forum article called “It’s time we added a letter to ESG. Here’s Why”
What Are “Megatrends”?
Megatrends are trends that are taking place over multiple years—not one year, not a quarter, not a month. These are large-scale, multifaceted phenomena that are taking place over larger increments of time, perhaps morphing in new and unpredictable ways, but whose trajectory and impacts are being felt every day, week, month, quarter, and year. The megatrends transcend physical and virtual barriers and are developments that touch on major aspects of life on earth—people, planet, profits, and purpose. Megatrends help provide situational perspective and the tools and methodologies for leaders to adapt and conquer such changes or, in some cases, protect from or combat the worst manifestations of such changes.
To close, I quote a powerful Albert Camus – The Invincible Summer – and dedicate this year’s edition to the people of Ukraine for the fortitude, sacrifice, passion for freedom and resilience in the face of something most of us did not think possible in the 21 Century. Summer is coming.
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Announcing the Launch of the 2022-2023 ESGT Megatrends Manual
Image via Adobe Stock.
May 24, 2022
Diplomatic Courier and GEC Risk Advisory are thrilled to announce the publication of the second annual edition of the ESGT Megatrends Manual - which checks in on multi-year global megatrends involving ESGT issues that should be top of mind for all leaders.
D
iplomatic Courier and GEC Risk Advisory are pleased to announce the second annual edition of the “ESGT Megatrends Manual” launched today on the occasion of World Economic Forum’s Spring Davos meetings. The publication is intended as an annual check-in on the most important multi-year global megatrends involving ESGT issues—systemic, strategic, and more tactical—that should be top of mind for all leaders—whether in business, non-profits, or government, as they lead and participate in strategic and tactical risk and opportunity planning and implementation.
Read and download the entire manual for free here.
The Year Systemic Situational Awareness Became an Imperative
It’s time for the world to recognize that we are living in an era of continuous risk and crisis and that denying it, avoiding it, or considering it a passing thing is no longer tenable. The truth is that the 21 Century has been a century—so far—of periodic, diverse, and material environmental, social, governance and technological (ESGT) shocks to the global system. A look at the (incomplete) list in Table 1 should suffice to make this point.
Why is this year’s Megatrends Manual’s subtitle “The Year Systemic Situational Awareness Became an Imperative”? If there ever was a time when each of us needed to readjust our gaze on the horizon, it’s now. After two years of a global pandemic, dire climate developments and warnings, the first regional brutal war in Europe in decades and the threat of more of the same for the foreseeable future—pandemics, climate catastrophes and war—we must get out of our comfort zones and understand these new dynamics so that we can help steer our respective organizations, communities and nations in the right and most beneficial direction.
The geopolitical/environmental map of the North Pole (Years 2000-2099) below helps to make my point— it is time to adjust our lenses—glasses, microscopes, and telescopes—to gain a more powerful situational awareness of how to navigate the new, challenging shoals we are and will be in for decades to come.
The World from Above, the North Pole
Each year, the ESGT Megatrends Manual examines a handful of ESGT Megatrends to dissect and illustrate, using some of the best, most useful data from premier global resources ranging from the World Economic Forum and major university research centers to the Allianz Risk Barometer, the Council on Foreign Relations, and other leading practical thought leadership sources. And we provide cases of both risk and opportunity, of downside and upside, that help illustrate the Megatrends.
The ESGT Megatrends Manual is intended to be a practical handbook for any type of leader of any type of organization or sector to use as a big picture guide to understand ESGT context and critical situational awareness and to help develop actionable ideas for strategy, innovation, resilience, and sustainability. Each megatrend discussion culminates in a “Leadership to Do’s” section providing actionable takeaways to consider. The E-book ends with a summary overview of all five megatrends leadership to do’s laid out as an ESGT Megatrends Blueprint for the coming year.
What’s New? The Five Megatrends of 2022-2023
The Table above shows a sneak preview of the 2022-2023 ESGT Megatrends and the Table below showshow they have evolved from last year’s edition.
How is the Approach to Each Megatrend Organized?
- Definition and brief explanation of how it fits into the ESGT discussion—is it primarily an environmental, social, governance, or technological issue, risk, or opportunity?
- The danger and the risk of the megatrend is explored through illustrative data, cases, and analysis
- The promise and the opportunity of the megatrend is explored through illustrative data, cases, and analysis
Each megatrend discussion concludes with practical, actionable leadership “to do’s”
What Is, and Why “ESGT”?
My readers are probably familiar with the now ubiquitous concept of ESG (environmental, social, governance) which in the past few years has become a mainstay of the business and financial world and, increasingly, the regulatory as well as the object of politically polarized and even bellicose stakeholder discussions.
I have argued elsewhere that ESG (or what I like to call ESGT—see below) is about much more than what the investor community says it is. Speaking from the standpoint of an entity and its key stakeholders—whether business, NGO, or even governmental—ESG is about organizational resilience, strategic long-term sustainability, and serving the interests and expectations of key stakeholders.
I developed the concept of ESG + technology or ESGT in my 2020 book Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk into Resilience and Value where I made the case that if businesses and other types of organizations are concerned about, and organizing themselves around, the intangible risks and opportunities that we are calling ESG, they would make a big mistake to not think of the many and rapidly surging technological issues, risks, and opportunities we deal with as people, entities, and nations every day. See Table below. I make the case more directly in this World Economic Forum article called “It’s time we added a letter to ESG. Here’s Why”
What Are “Megatrends”?
Megatrends are trends that are taking place over multiple years—not one year, not a quarter, not a month. These are large-scale, multifaceted phenomena that are taking place over larger increments of time, perhaps morphing in new and unpredictable ways, but whose trajectory and impacts are being felt every day, week, month, quarter, and year. The megatrends transcend physical and virtual barriers and are developments that touch on major aspects of life on earth—people, planet, profits, and purpose. Megatrends help provide situational perspective and the tools and methodologies for leaders to adapt and conquer such changes or, in some cases, protect from or combat the worst manifestations of such changes.
To close, I quote a powerful Albert Camus – The Invincible Summer – and dedicate this year’s edition to the people of Ukraine for the fortitude, sacrifice, passion for freedom and resilience in the face of something most of us did not think possible in the 21 Century. Summer is coming.
