The Future Belongs to Companies That Remember to Be Human
Shelley and our mascot, Bachi, at the NextUp Forum in Salt Lake City, Utah
I just returned from the NextUp Executive Forum 2025, where some of the brightest leaders from mostly the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) and Retail industries were gathered to discuss the same question: what’s next in business, leadership, and innovation?
My notebook is full of sharp insights, but three themes rose above the noise. They weren’t abstract theories; they were human lessons—reminders that progress doesn’t come from more decks, more jargon, or more processes. It comes from remembering what makes us resourceful, what keeps us real, and what truly connects us to people. Those three insigths map directly to the work we do with our clients every day.
Resourcefulness Beats Resources
Dr. Simone Ahuja set the tone with a story about Jugad Innovation: the art of doing more with less. Think of someone turning an empty soda bottle into a terrarium, or a clever hack to extend a product’s reach. It’s not abundance that sparks ingenuity, it’s constraint.
Her words landed hard: “Rigorous prioritization is the only way to move the needle.” Too often, organizations treat prioritization as optional. But the truth is, without it, creativity gets buried in noise. What matters isn’t how many ideas you have, it’s how sharply you choose the ones that count. Every idea should be assessed for impact, ease, and interest, otherwise, you’re just adding noise.
Keep It Simple, Keep It Real
Then came Peter McGuinness, CEO of Impossible Foods, who didn’t waste a second on buzzwords. He cut through the jargon and said, “We make and sell food. It needs to be delicious. Don’t overcomplicate it.”
Peter McGuinness, CEO of Impossible Foods
That one line shifted the room. Innovation, he reminded us, doesn’t always mean inventing something brand new. Sometimes it’s about improving what already exists. He called it moving from “Not Invented Here” to “Now Improved Here.”
And it hit me: so many strategy decks collapse under their own weight. The companies that thrive are the ones that strip away the fluff, stay grounded in their customers’ realities, and never lose their humanity in the process.
Fascinating Shifts in Consumer Behaviors
The Kantar Group—global experts in consumer research and cultural trends—took us deeper into what people actually want today. Their research revealed two fascinating shifts in consumer behavior:
From “we” to “me.” Scarcity is reshaping choices. People don’t buy because it’s good for the planet or society. They buy because it’s good for them. As Peter McGuinness reminded us, no one picks Impossible Foods for environmental virtue alone. It has to be delicious.
From ambiguity to action. Faced with endless options, people are done puzzling it out. They crave clarity. They don’t want ten ways forward, they want the way forward.
The best growth opportunities often live in groups that companies have historically underserved, think Gen Z, Hispanic consumers, or emerging leaders. The question for every company became crystal clear: Who are you overlooking—and how will you meet them with clarity, simplicity, and purpose?
Melody Richard of Walmart captured it best: “When your work life lifts someone else’s life, you’re not just working anymore. You’re living your purpose.”
The Takeaway
Walking out of the forum, I kept coming back to one simple truth: the future isn’t about who can build the biggest slide deck, throw around the most buzzwords, or pile up the most resources. It’s about something much harder, and much more human.
The future belongs to companies that:
Prioritize rigorously (focus > noise)
Provide direction (clarity > choice)
Stay human (purpose > process)
That’s why this work matters so much to me. At Springbach, we live in that sweet spot: helping clients cut through the noise, align on what really matters, and deliver flow that keeps them human. Right in the middle of complexity, that’s where the magic happens.