Returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Seven Hills BPI Director Irene Kyme reflects on an unexpected insight from the mountain: in a world of accelerating change and constant noise, the real leadership skill is knowing when to step back.
My first trip to Davos was everything I expected and more: an exhilarating, adrenaline fuelled experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a unique experience to be at an event under the spotlight of the world’s media, rubbing shoulders with business leaders, amidst the frenzy of President Trump’s visit and the unfolding headlines about Greenland.
Yet, amidst this turbulence, the most meaningful session for me wasn’t a keynote on the main stage or in one of the ‘houses’, but an exclusive dinner we hosted for Calm.
The Strategic Pause
Moderated by BPI’s Jeff Nussbaum, we brought together Calm CEO David Ko, Axios’s National Energy Correspondent, Amy Harder, and Bank of America Private Bank President Katy Knox. The conversation provided a necessary counter-narrative to the week about how slowing down can be the ultimate superpower for leaders.
We discussed human sustainability as a business imperative, and also heard from Patrick J. Kennedy, Co-Founder of the Kennedy Forum, about the need to prioritise mental health as much as physical health, and why he opted to focus on a physical organ, the brain, as a way to get mental health taken more seriously.
Navigating the Hype Cycle
This need for cognitive clarity felt even more urgent after listening to the heavyweights at Semafor Haus and Axios House, who painted a picture of a world running at breakneck speed. Investor and Bridgewater Associates founder, Ray Dalio, compared the current AI investment boom to the electricity bubble of the 1920s. His warning was sharp: technology eventually wins, but many companies don’t. He urged us not to confuse investing in new tech, with investing in a specific stock.
If Dalio provided the economic caution, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis provided the velocity. He sees AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) arriving within just 5 to 10 years and described the competition as “ferocious”, with a concentration of talent unlike anything in history. While optimistic about AI solving urgent problems like climate change and disease, he highlighted a dangerous “institutional lag”. Technology is moving exponentially, while safety protocols and government regulations are moving more slowly.
Leaving the World Economic Forum, my main takeaway is that we are facing a future defined by unprecedented technological speed, while at the same time nearing the capacity of human sustainability to keep up with it. Navigating this requires leaders who are not just smart, but also resilient.
That is why the message from our Calm dinner resonated so deeply. As the world speeds up, the ability to recharge, recover and think clearly is no longer a luxury. It is the most critical asset we have. True leadership starts with a pause.