Our Story

Future Normal has been nearly two decades in the making. The journey began in the 1990s as a reflection on the limitations of conventional strategic advice. From there it evolved in the mid 2000s into a PhD exploring the philosophies of leading-edge organisations. Then, our ideas developed further through more teaching, research and practice.

• Teaching MBA students in a subject which in turn the program became no.1 in the world for (five years in a row and still counting).

• Research in terms of business philosophies and approaches that fosters building organisations that deliver long-term value.

• Practice in terms of leading and managing new ventures, large teams and budget in the private and public sectors.

In 2023 the ideas were codified into a book - Future Normal: 8 Questions to Create Businesses your Children will be Proud Of.

Then in 2024 the Future Normal advisory company was formed.  

Our Philosophy

At Future Normal, we would like to see a world where more and more organisations fully realise their potential over the long-term. To do this, we believe they need to act meaningfully in their surroundings and purposefully to benefit themselves and society for generations.  Evidently the full realisation of such a vision is nigh on impossible given the breadth of different business models and behaviours. However, our pursuit of this vision is because we believe too many organisations fall short of their potential through holding on to outdated modes of thinking that are short-term in nature.

The Future Normal approach empowers organisations to break free and create strategies that not only drive superior returns for the long-term but also leave a positive legacy. 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, our approach is to share and enable others. 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.

In our work 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 realise it.

• 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.