February 2026 already feels like a year. In this month’s episode, Graeme Codrington explores two forces leaders can’t afford to treat as background noise: geopolitical rupture and the unseen diversity inside their own organisations.

Graeme turns to China to illustrate what Kairos readiness looks like in practice: long-term planning, disciplined execution, and the ability to move decisively when the world fractures. He explores China’s five-year planning model, the intent behind the 2035 and 2049 roadmaps, and why preparedness consistently beats reaction.

Later in the episode, Graeme is joined by Dr. Sarah Babb to examine neurodiversity as a leadership and performance issue-not an HR side topic. They unpack what neurodiversity really means, why “normal” is the wrong frame, and how organisations can move beyond individual accommodations toward system-level neuroinclusion that strengthens innovation, talent, and customer experience.

Whether you’re looking at global strategy or organisational design, the message is consistent: what you ignore today shapes your constraints tomorrow.

Key takeaways -

🧭 You can’t keep up - so change how you engage

1. The world has moved beyond “transition” into rupture: fast, non-linear change that breaks old assumptions.
2. Your edge comes from frameworks, not feeds.

🦅 Kairos vs Chronos: the moment you can grab

1. Chronos is chronological time; Kairos is the window of opportunity.
2. Leaders win by being ready to move when the moment arrives-before competitors even realise it’s here.

🇨🇳 China as a strategic planning case study

1. China’s rolling five-year plan model has delivered an unusually high proportion of targets over decades.
2. The release of the 2035 and 2049 plans is a signal: China is aligning short-, medium-, and long-term execution.
3. Key shifts to watch:
4. Incentives for Chinese firms to globalise and welcome partners
5. A changing stance on intellectual property and global standards
6. Rapid trade responsiveness as geopolitical relationships fracture

🧠 Neurodiversity: the “unseen diversity” organisations are missing

1. Dr. Babb frames neurodiversity as normal variation in brain functioning, not a neat binary of “typical vs divergent.”
2. The opportunity is both internal (talent, innovation, resilience) and external (customers, product design, accessibility).
3. The real question for leaders: Do you want diversity of thinking-and are you prepared to support it?

🏢 What organisations should do now

1. Move beyond one-off programs and confidential...

The future isn’t hiding in forecasts or trend reports. It’s already standing in front of us.

In this special episode, Graeme Codrington and Dean Van Leeuwen examine the grey elephants already reshaping leadership, strategy, and society - highly probable, high-impact forces that are now moving from theory into reality.

From human enhancement to climate-driven insurance collapse, antimicrobial resistance and AI-driven deception to fragile tech investment models and an increasingly multipolar world, this episode challenges leaders to abandon passive optimism and adopt deliberate action.

The message is clear: 2026 won’t reward those who wait.

But it will reward those who recognise what’s already here - and respond decisively.

Key takeaways -

🐘 The Grey Elephant mindset

• Grey elephants aren’t surprises - they’re obvious forces we avoid discussing.
• 2026 will reward leaders who are conscious, decisive, and proactive, even if decisions aren’t perfect.

🏟️ Enhanced Games & human augmentation

• A proposed 2026 sporting event where performance enhancement is transparent and allowed.
• Less about sport, more about a shift from paternalism → autonomy and changing rules of competition.
• A signal for societal fractures and new definitions of “fairness”.

🌍 Climate change meets insurance reality

• Insurers quietly withdrawing from high-risk regions or pricing cover out of reach.
• Knock-on effects: housing markets, migration, supply chains, local government finances.
• Leaders should watch re-insurance markets closely.

🦠 Superbugs & antimicrobial resistance

• Already causing ~1M deaths per year-and rising.
• An “unsexy” crisis with huge implications for healthcare, productivity, and mortality.
• A massive blind spot for governments, investors, and businesses alike.

🤖 AI fakery & cybersecurity

• In 2026, trust collapses: voices, faces, video, and audio can all be faked.
• The question is no longer “Can we trust?” but “How do we operate when we can’t?”
• Opportunity lies in verification, design, and new trust infrastructures.

🧠 Human connection as a superpower

• As AI intelligence accelerates, human consciousness-empathy, judgement, ethics-becomes scarce and valuable.
• Leaders should ask two questions:

1. Where can AI drive efficiency?
2. Where does being human create competitive advantage?

📉 The AI investment bubble

• Not an AI collapse-but potential turbulence in the financial plumbing behind big tech.
• Circular financing, GPU economics, and concentrated risk could cause a market shock in 2026.

🌐 Multipolar geopolitics

• The post-WWII order is fragmenting faster than many expected.
• New alliances, broken assumptions, and uncomfortable moral trade-offs are emerging.
• Businesses must scenario-plan for worlds that once felt unthinkable.

💡 Reasons for optimism

• Amid disruption, medical breakthroughs are accelerating.
• Cancer vaccines and other major advances could define the upside of 2026.

Thanks to Lee, Philippa, Jude, Darren and Nasreen for their contributions to this episode.

Elephants in the Boardroom is powered by Achilles.

Connect with Graeme and...

In this special episode, hosts Graeme Codrington and Dean Van Leeuwen broadcast live from the Dubai Futures Forum, the world’s largest gathering of futurists. They share insights on emerging trends, including the value of focus in a distracted world, the evolving meaning of expertise in the age of AI, and the importance of hope and wonder for driving change. Recorded at the iconic Dubai Museum of the Future, the episode encourages listeners to confront overlooked challenges and actively shape a positive, ambitious future.

Our January episode will be another special as we look forward to the year ahead and what we predict 2026 might hold. We’re also inviting listeners to get involved by submitting their 2026 predictions. Submit yours at https://www.tomorrowtodayglobal.com/2026predictions.

Elephants in the Boardroom is powered by Achilles.

Connect with Graeme and Dean:

• Connect with Graeme on LinkedIn here
• Email Dean at Dean@tomorrowtoday.consulting

If you're interested in learning more about the 7 Grey Elephants and how they're transforming the world you can download TomorrowToday's white paper here

www.tomorrowtodayglobal.com/greyelephants

TomorrowToday Consulting empowers forward-thinking organisations to not just anticipate the future, but to shape it. Staying ahead of the curve is critical, and we provide the visionary thinking and strategic execution you need to thrive.

Email hello@tomorrowtoday.consulting