Shifting from defense to offense, where should today’s leaders be placing their bets to prepare for tomorrow’s world?

Today’s executives have more information at their fingertips—and more on their plates—than ever before. In addition to constantly adapting to and implementing new technologies, they’re also responsible for visualizing and setting the course for the future they want to create.

So in a world that’s becoming increasingly complex, how can leaders make technological advancement both simple and approachable?

Throughout Q1, we connected with executives across the C-suite to delve into the most pressing topics in each of their respective functions and found a few common themes:

1. Navigating AI overload

With the influx of emerging tools and technologies, the AI landscape is becoming more difficult to navigate. Do you invest in feature enhancements or place your faith in a new platform altogether? When should you build versus buy? And how do you make sure your teams are properly equipped?

“In this crowded AI ecosystem, it’s becoming more and more confusing for business leaders to know where to place their bets,” says Michelle Page-Rivera, PhD, managing director of Business Advisory Services at Slalom. “They need clarity around solution feasibility and expected business outcomes so they can choose a direction and quickly prepare their organization for what’s ahead.”

2. Balancing a sense of urgency with smart investing

In today’s world, everything needs a business case. This requires C-suite leaders to embrace an outcomes-driven approach, make sure their priorities align to ROI, and keep their sights set on the future instead of worrying about what their competitors are doing now.

“Traditional benchmarks are dead,” says Amalia Goodwin, managing director of Business Advisory Services at Slalom. “We can’t worry about what others are doing if they haven’t even implemented it yet.” While we know at least 30% of today’s roles can be augmented with AI, she says, no one can predict the level of automation and augmentation in five or 10 years from now.

“By waiting for others to create new benchmarks, you’ll simply miss out on market share and put your business at risk of being obsolete.”

3. Preparing for the change ahead

While we’re living amid constant change, C-suite leaders should recognize that the most critical shifts are the ones on the horizon, and preparing for that change needs to happen now. 

“The challenge isn’t what AI can do; it’s what humans are willing to let go,” says Slalom CMO Sangeeta Prasad.

For example, while 86% of chief human resources officers (CHROs) shared that they plan on investing in skill development, it wasn’t considered a top priority by other C-suite leaders. This disconnect regarding how best to prepare for the future—and what it specifically means for the workforce—will continue to be a challenge in the coming year.

Given the widespread interest in emerging technologies across functional areas, there’s an opportunity to move toward more holistic, cross-functional digital initiatives that break down silos, fostering an integrated approach to innovation.

For product and marketing leaders, this could involve evaluating how your customers are interacting with the latest technology, while ESG leaders are likely exploring how emerging AI solutions can accelerate their decarbonization goals. CHROs, on the other hand, might use an AI tool or accelerator like Slalom’s enhanceIQ to evaluate which tasks should be automated or augmented.

Explore our key learnings in the function-specific breakdowns below to learn more about how these trends are influencing the C-suite.