Robert Cade

Five to seven years into an impact sector career is when many people start to feel stuck. You’ve built credibility. You’ve delivered projects, led teams, handled partners, and proved that you can get things done. You’re reliable. You’re trusted. And yet something doesn’t add up. The recognition feels limited. The growth path looks unclear. The compensation doesn’t match the hours or the responsibility. Suddenly, the questions creep in: Should I do an MBA? Should I switch jobs? Should I sign up for another course to fill the gaps? I’ve seen this happen often and it’s not about capability. What holds people back is mindset. The belief that impact speaks for itself. The hesitation that says, I don’t want to play politics; I just want to do good work. But here’s the quiet trap: when you’re known only for execution, you don’t automatically move into leadership. Leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about shifting your stance. From doer to agenda-setter. From executor of the mission to steward of its direction. From proving yourself to shaping what comes next. Executional excellence is essential but it won’t carry you across that threshold. To step into leadership, you need clarity, presence, and the courage to position yourself differently. Not abandoning your strengths, but using them in new ways. Turning effort into presence. Commitment into influence. That’s the shift that makes careers sustainable in this sector where you can continue serving with integrity, while also building the stability and recognition you deserve. If this feels like where you are stuck in the middle, wondering about your next step I’ve opened my calendar for conversations with professionals navigating this exact transition. Reach out. Let’s talk. #ImpactLeadership #StrategicLeadership #ClimateAction #SustainableDevelopment #LeadershipCoaching #FutureOfWork

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Organisations are adopting GenAI at pace, but real-world adoption is proving far more complex than headlines suggest. 1️⃣ A mixed-methods study of 304 global decision-makers shows GenAI adoption is shaped by both internal capacity (skills, change readiness) and external pressures (regulation, tech complexity). 2️⃣ Perceived relative advantage (e.g., better efficiency, automation) is the strongest driver of GenAI uptake. 3️⃣ Staff skills significantly influence adoption: without upskilling and AI literacy, organisations struggle to realise GenAI's benefits. 4️⃣ Complexity is a key barrier: integrating GenAI with legacy systems, ensuring explainability, and managing unfamiliar workflows hinder adoption. 5️⃣ Surprisingly, regulatory pressure was not a statistically significant barrier, though concerns about privacy, accuracy, and compliance were widespread. 6️⃣ Change capacity moderates adoption: high readiness reduces the drag of complexity, while low readiness makes adoption more dependent on staff expertise. 7️⃣ The study validates the TOE (Technology-Organisation-Environment) framework but suggests it needs adaptation for GenAI's fast-evolving, high-risk landscape. 8️⃣ Most organisations still lack clear strategies for managing GenAI's ethical, legal, and sustainability risks, underscoring the need for governance innovation. 9️⃣ Findings highlight stark cross-sector variability: organisations in regulated or safety-critical sectors face greater hurdles than those in creative or marketing roles. 🔟 Overall, readiness, not hype, determines whether GenAI becomes a productivity tool or a stalled experiment. ✍🏻 Dr Laurie Hughes, Fern Davies, Keyao Li, Senali Madugoda Gunaratnege, Dr Tegwen Malik, Professor Yogesh K Dwivedi. Beyond the hype: Organisational adoption of Generative AI through the lens of the TOE framework–A mixed methods perspective. Elsevier. International Journal of Information Management. 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102982

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This morning, I joined BBC Radio 5’s Wake Up to Money with Felicity Hannah to dig into how AI is really affecting jobs in the UK. AI is having a two-sided impact on businesses – and the conversation needs to go beyond just “AI is taking our jobs.” It’s also pushing leaders to rethink roles and even create new ones. We should be asking: what can AI genuinely improve, and where do humans still do it better? By now, most of us know that repetitive, structured tasks with clear processes are most at risk – and that often includes many entry-level roles. But that doesn’t mean new opportunities aren’t emerging. Take our Hire, Train, Deploy program, for example – it helps early-career talent build in-demand skills and places them straight into business-critical roles. That’s especially valuable now, as UK employers face rising costs due to increased national insurance contributions. There are still plenty of areas where AI just doesn’t cut it. Right at the top of that list is the ‘human premium’ – skills like strategic thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence. AI isn’t here to replace everyone, but it is moving fast. As it continues to handle more of the background work, it’s on us to ask whether our skills are keeping up with what the future of work demands. Listen to the full conversation here (from 19:28 mins): https://lnkd.in/eDDNbx_g Henry Jones Tom Elliott Robert Walters

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Last week, CF shared our take on what the NHS 10-Year Plan means for the Life Sciences sector. On the same day, the government published its Life Sciences Sector Plan. While some of the operational content was already outlined in the NHS plan, the sector plan adds important strategic narrative, explicitly positioning Life Sciences as central to the UK’s economic growth. It highlights investment commitments as well as a delivery timeline. 💡 The key challenge that remains unaddressed it the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access. At the ABPI annual conference, the Secretary of State committed to reviewing the VPAG scheme, which has grown from c.£600m to nearly £3.3 billion in annual payments. 📈 Read our snapshot summary below. ⬇️ Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency NICE - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) HM Treasury The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP Samantha Roberts Lawrence Tallon #LifeSciences #LifeSciencesSectorPlan #VPAG #NHS #HealthcareTransformation #IndustryPartnerships #DataDigitalAI #Prevention #PHM

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Lead with value, and planetary impact will follow.​ ​ For me, this has always been true, but in today’s political climate, it’s more important than ever to emphasise. ​ ​ There’s a growing body of research showing that business leaders see the ROI in sustainability and are continuing to invest (including the Climate Survey that we launched earlier this month at BCG):​ ​ 📊 89% of C-suite leaders plan to increase their sustainability budgets this year — and 0% expect cuts - Forbes C-suite Sustainability Survey​ 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eEzbwSzP​ 📊 Every $1 invested in climate adaptation can return up to $19 in benefits​ 🔗https://lnkd.in/eDpei-FH​ 📊 88% of corporates say sustainability has long-term value creation potential - J.P. Morgan Sustainable Signals 2025​ 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e6yVbF7Z​ ​ If you can’t show value, you won’t get buy-in. If you can’t tie sustainability to business outcomes, the impact won’t last. ​ ​ Every successful C&S story I’ve seen, from corporate transformations to high-growth startups, starts with the same core principle: lead with value. ​ ​ Those of us working in climate and sustainability need to stay laser-focused on that. And that’s exactly what I shared with the next generation of climate and sustainability leaders during our fireside chat at Climate Week NYC.

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Last week I co-designed and led Women In Tech Policy's first unconference with techUK - bringing together brilliant women from policy, government and industry to ask one big question: what do women want from tech policy? 💭 The discussions were bold, practical and full of new ideas. Women shifted the conversation - from risk to design, regulation to participation, and access to agency. A few takeaways that stood out 👇 💡 On #AI: inclusion must be built in from the start, not bolted on later. 🚀 On leadership in the sector: the “pipeline problem” isn’t the story; culture, visibility and values are. 🌍 On #digitalinclusion: connection isn’t just coverage; it’s confidence, trust and capability. When women shape #tech, the debate gets smarter and policy gets real. Proud to have helped shape this with the brilliant Tess Buckley & Mia Haffety and such an inspiring group of women driving the UK’s digital future. Write up from Mia linked in comments + more insights from WITP coming soon!

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