PEOPLE | LEADERSHIP
Innovation and the case for reading
As Chief Purpose Officer at Deloitte US , Kwasi Mitchell is responsible for leading the organisation-wide strategy that powers Deloitte ’ s commitment to purpose and driving a broader impact for its clients , people , and the communities in which it operates . Kwasi built and oversees the firm ' s first dedicated Purpose Office , focused on addressing some of the world ' s most complex societal issues - including DEI , sustainability and climate change , education and workforce development , and technology trust ethics - supporting clients on their journey to becoming purpose-driven organisations , and engaging employees to live their purpose daily . Kwasi also owns the firm ’ s CSR function and oversees Monitor Institute by Deloitte which works with non-profit philanthropies and advises them on their corporate strategy . “ This brings best-in-class thinking to what we do based upon what is observed and also serves as a model for others ,” he says .
Prior to being named Chief Purpose Officer , Kwasi was the DEI leader , the pro bono and social impact lead for Deloitte ’ s 50,000 + Consulting practice . He has served as a Principal at Deloitte
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And at no time is the need to recreate , innovate and reach for new possibilities more pertinent than now , when the fallout from the pandemic has fundamentally changed the way organisations do business and economic uncertainty intensifies .
Facing the fear of uncertainty Furr argues that the main inhibitor of innovation is not uncertainty per se , but our fear of the uncertainty of change because we don ’ t know what is on the other side .
“ Humans are wired to be afraid of uncertainty ,” he says . “ This made sense 100,000 years ago when anything foreign could be potentially lethal . But we no longer need to fear the unknown in the same way because we now live in a world that is radically safer , and full of incredible possibilities .”
Approaching uncertainty is the only way we ‘ step out ’ into this field of potential to evolve , argues Furr – who for more than two decades has been interviewing innovators and has discovered that to do anything new , they all faced uncertainty first .
“ They had to step into the unknown before discovering possibilities . I was curious about how these innovators and entrepreneurs overcame their fear of uncertainty .”
Drawing from these hundreds of interviews , as well as pioneering research in psychology , innovation , and behavioural economics , Furr has co-authored a new book , designed to help organisations and leaders embrace uncertainty and transform it into a force for good .
In The Upside of Uncertainty : A Guide to Finding Possibility in the Unknown , Furr and entrepreneur Susannah Harmon Furr
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