Our Story

Future Normal has been nearly two decades in the making. The journey began in the 1990s as a reflection on the paucity of conventional strategic advice. From there it evolved in the mid 2000s into a PhD exploring the philosophies of leading-edge organisations. Then, the ideas developed further through teaching and research. Teaching as a subject for MBA students, which in turn enabled the program to become the world’s no.1, five years in a row and still counting, for that subject. Research in terms of deeper exploration of ideas and concepts. Then in 2023 the ideas were codified into a book and in 2024 into an advisory company and in time, hopefully much more -the story is still being written.  

The central tenet of this work is to help enable organisations that can lead their industries for the long-term and in so being are the types that leave a positive legacy and attract great people for generations to come.  

Our Philosophy

At Future Normal, we would like to see a world where more and more organisations act meaningfully in their surroundings and purposefully to benefit themselves and society.  Evidently the realisation of such a vision is impossible given the breadth of different business models and behaviours. Our pursuit of this vision is because we believe too many organisations fall short of their potential because they cling to outdated frameworks built on short-term thinking.

The pursuit of this vision matters to us because too often organisations limit themselves by focusing on quick wins and convention. The Future Normal approach empowers organisations to break free from this cycle, and create strategies that not only drive superior returns but also leave a positive legacy. In moving beyond convention, we catalyse businesses to operate in a manner that positions them for long-term success. This matters as when we compete for the long-term a few things happen; meaning arises and stakeholder loyalty improves, in turn society thrives and as a result rewards compound through time. The catalyst for such transformation is the philosophy of the organisation, that’s where we start.

More broadly, we don’t believe in working alone, our approach is to share and enable others, as many as possible. After all, the sharing of our experience, our research, our insights; this is the sharing of our craft, our art. So, while we may advise companies, our deeper work is to enable - we have some ideas for what we like to do in this area, at one level its the sharing of our research and our insights, at a another its exhibitions, certification, training, scholarships and …. However, these big goals are ones we have yet to realise, we are still building, so in time, hopefully, we will.

In working with us, we aim to be humble, comfortable when its uncomfortable, enable you to shine and support meaning, by this we mean;

• Humility – No one ever learnt by listening to themselves alone and being proudful, its only through listening and humility that we give our best advice. In this, we recognise our full attention matters.

• Comfort in Discomfort – We know that new perspectives can be challenging, but growth comes out of discomfort. Nothing new arrives cost-free, we are here to support you through it.

• Enable you to Shine – We believe in your potential, and our job is to help you and your team shine.

• Support Meaning - We recognise that work is more than a job for so many of us. We focus on the big ideas that shift the dial for us and those who come after us.