Give my compliments to your AI
She leans forward with a hint of a smile on her face. In the glow of the holographic interface between them, her eyes reflect streams of data scrolling softly.
- This will be the last question for this part of the simulation. Take your time.
Her colleague on the left adjusts his glasses and continues.
- As VP of Adaptability, how would you build your team to help an organisation navigate a volatile business environment after a significant reorg?
Another interviewer chimes in.
- This organisation has a long tradition of internal promotions, but time pressure forces it to hire quickly from experience.
The candidate stops taking notes, twirling his pen with a grin.
- That’s an excellent question. Excellent and full of traps. Just the way I like it. Thank you.
- Walk us through your thinking process, strategies, previous experiences, etc.
- In volatile times like these, investing in adaptability is crucial, not in a plan. When the ground is shifting below your feet, it’s not the perfect plan that will save you, but your ability to adapt.
He takes a sip of water, allowing his words to settle. She notes his poise and is impressed by how seamlessly he navigates the environment. The biometric data displayed on her side screen indicates optimal engagement levels of other evaluators. This is going to be good.
- As for a more precise approach, I would look internally for someone who knows the organization inside and out. That person would serve as an interface between the team and the company.
Setting his pen aside, he stands up. The smart chair adjusts back into the floor to give him more space. As he takes a deep breath and starts, the ambient lighting subtly shifts to centre on him. His command of the room is impressively calm, she notes.
- In the meantime, I would hire a specialist with a skill set that matches my short-term goals and start working with them on standards enabling algorithmic decision-making for the future team.
He gestures confidently, making eye contact with each interviewer through the holographic projection between them. The interactive display responds to his movements, highlighting key points as he speaks.
- Next, I would set up a continuous recruitment pipeline optimised for generalists matching our criteria and resources. The pipeline would initially rely on external agencies and AI headhunters focused on passive candidate databases for extra speed.
His enthusiasm is evident to everyone in the simulation room by now.
- Once promising candidates start to appear in the pipeline, I’d try to process them and, after onboarding, embed them in teams prioritising by business-critical and revenue-generating ones.
Clasping his hands, he concludes.
- Once we've tackled the most critical issues, I'd pivot recruitment to attract specialists aligned with our identified challenges. From there, it’s only a matter of resources we can use to scale and tweak internal processes.
He goes back to his seat and takes another sip of water.
- Of course, this is a highly speculative approach as I’m unaware of internal dynamics and organisational processes. Still, it’s the approach I would advocate for as a good starting point. Would you like me to elaborate on any of those points?
Her colleague on the left raises an eyebrow.
- Thank you, but could you provide more specifics on the processes you'd optimize? How would you train organizational leaders to improve adaptability? Think AI augmentation, generational workforce shift, and volatile markets.
He nods.
- Training adaptability hinges on mindset shifts resulting from a culture of experimentation and cross-functional collaboration. Experiments help everyone approach changes with curiosity rather than fear, while working across departmental boundaries creates a broader perspective, improving overall adaptability.
- Ok. But what would you start with?
- From my experience, the simplest thing most organisations can implement quickly is introducing scenarios for planning. Instead of aiming for linear goals, algorithmic roadmaps and if-this-then-that decision trees help prepare actionable responses tied to data fed by analytics.
The glowing graphs expand as he gestures, illustrating his points with dynamic visuals. This gives her an idea for the second session. She scribbles it down immediately.
- Another very effective and cheap practice is reverse mentoring. Reverse mentoring pairs senior leaders with the youngest employees to expose them to fresh perspectives on emerging trends and technologies.
The candidate pauses before concluding.
- Given the limited information, this would be my initial, easily scalable approach. Once I can talk to company data, it can be easily corrected for organisational specifics.
She stands up to close the session.
- We appreciate your insightful responses. Now, please enjoy a quick break, and we will join you for lunch in 30 minutes. Thank you for meeting us in person.
She waves her hand to stop the recording as the candidate packs his notes.
- The pleasure is mine. Give my compliments to your AI. I’m in multiple processes, but this was a really exciting challenge and it was the best sim I’ve participated in in years.
- Thank you. We will pass on your feedback.
- I’m sure you should explore this idea further. A medical company with your market share producing themed medical devices for patients with prolonged diseases is a goldmine of opportunities. My 11-year-old has diabetes, and he would love this fantasy glucometer that looks like a magical device belonging to an elven wizard.
- Let’s discuss this over lunch. Nathan will walk you to the cafeteria, and we’ll join you soon.
He leaves the room with her colleague. They wait until the door closes behind him.
- Thoughts?
- I must admit he’s a strong candidate.
- His sim performance stood out from those relying on cookie-cutter strategies.
- I like how he doesn’t use excuses and owns the situation.
- What about you?
- I liked his idea of spinning negative customer feedback and reviews to explain specialised offerings. Mixing wide praise with targeted dissatisfaction proves the product works as intended for the use case it is designed for.
Someone asks from the back of the simulation room.
- Sorry, do we have the same room for the next sim?
- Yes. I booked it for an entire day.
- I have some second thoughts, but I skipped breakfast, so maybe I’m just hangry. I’ll try to think about it and write everything down. Now, let’s grab something to eat.
- Just promise you won't grill our top pick too hard at lunch.
She chuckles.
- No grilling today, I swear. I'm in the mood for a salad.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome back from the future, where AI visualisations have turned planning into an art form, and patients with long-term conditions can make their medical devices look like magical artefacts.
If you enjoyed this story, hit the heart-shaped “Like” button at the top or bottom of this page. It’s great feedback and helps others find it.Let's dive into our weekly workout, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to build a future-proof mindset. Start with this quote for extra inspiration:
"My future starts when I wake up every morning.”
Miles Davis
As always, we begin by connecting the story to your personal life, making it more relatable.
Personal life reflection prompts
When was the last time you wrote down your thoughts to get clarity from writing?
How do you balance relying on technology with trusting your intuition when making important decisions?
In what 2 ways do you look to diversify your perspectives to broaden your understanding of complex issues?
When was the last time you turned negative feedback into an opportunity for personal growth?
Would you be comfortable talking with an AI headhunter, or would you prefer that your AI assistant handles those conversations?
Great work!
We're now ready to shift our focus to the context of the industry, organisation, team, service, or product you're working with.
Professional life reflection prompts
What 3 metrics would convince you that your business environment became so volatile that planning no longer makes sense and you should switch to course correction?
If you were put in charge of a reverse mentoring programme in your department, which 2 senior leaders would you pair with young newcomers and why?
What 3 things could you do more often to create a culture of experimentation and cross-functional collaboration in your organization?
In what 2 ways could algorithmic roadmaps and decision trees be integrated into your company's planning processes?
If your organisation introduces an adaptability team soon, who will be a strong candidate to lead it?
That’s everything we have for today. You did amazing!
Thank you for expanding your imagination with us. Leaders with bold ideas move our world forward.
Think bright, lead brighter, and see you soon.
Pawel Halicki
Do you want stories like this in your inbox?
Join strategic imagination workouts that inspire change-makers in market-leading organisations, including Visa, Deloitte, Barclays, UEFA, Nielsen, Morgan Stanley, and many more.
Feeling in the zone today?
Try the recommended follow-up story next:
Do you know a leader who could use some more strategic imagination?
It only takes 5 seconds to share our imagination workouts.
The writing is so compelling and the questions are precisely what my mentees need sometimes! I’m going to start sharing this specific article with them for when they also do mock interviews 😊 great stuff! Thank you for your creativity!