The Inflection Point
We’re living through a global inflection point, and just like you can’t tell it’s happening until you’re already in it in sport, in politics, or in business, sensing the opportunity & running a Crash Ball to galvanize the moment is what makes for great leadership.
The signs are everywhere if you know how to read them. A massive generational hand-off of wealth & power as Baby Boomers retire and Millennials step up. Artificial intelligence and automations reshaping knowledge work at breakneck speed. Established global systems—from trade to defense to climate—not just straining but fracturing before our eyes. These aren’t separate challenges. They’re converging forces creating a historic inflection point—the moment everything changes.
For most, this feels like playing against a stacked deck in a rigged game. The rules protect the entrenched. The pace overwhelms the unprepared. And conventional approaches? They’re failing spectacularly. But here’s the truth: what looks like a rigged game is actually a once-in-a-generation opportunity for those who understand what’s really happening.
The Recognition Challenge
Inflection points reveal themselves to an analyst only long after they’ve happened—but with the right experience & intuition, you can sense when you’re already in them. The problem is that by the time everyone sees it, the moment for asymmetric advantage has begun to slip away.
This explains why established organizations & institutions so often falter during these transitions. Their success was built on capitalizing off of patterns that are being actively disrupted. Their expertise becomes their liability. Their processes, designed for a world that’s disappearing, create blind spots exactly where the future is emerging.
But this same dynamic creates extraordinary openings for those who can sense the shift & respond decisively. When systems reach their inflection points, they become temporarily more responsive to strategic intervention. Small inputs create disproportionate impacts. The right move at the right moment can reconfigure entire competitive landscapes.
The question isn’t whether disruption is happening. It’s whether you’ll be the one shaping it or the one shaped by it.
The Crash Ball Approach
On the rain-drenched rugby pitches of my youth in British Columbia, I learned a concept that would define my approach to these moments: the Crash Ball play. Not pretty, but devastating when executed with precision—a direct, powerful drive into the heart of the opposition’s defense. The purpose wasn’t just to gain ground, but to create a gravitational center that pulled defenders in, opening the field for opportunity elsewhere—creating the time & space necessary for more artful & complicated plays to be executed.
I’ve built my career on running Crash Balls to transform the strategic landscape. When systems are strained & facing inflection, precisely targeted interventions create disproportionate impact by forcing others to respond on your terms rather than theirs.
I’ve executed this approach across politics, government & civic leadership:
- Coordinating emergency management responses during crises;
- Securing the riding that returned the first re-elected woman Premier of British Columbia to office;
- Architecting the creation of a new political movement that elected the first Chinese Canadian mayor of a major city; and,
- Championing the transformation of Vancouver’s zoning & permitting to create equity, access, and affordable housing.
I’ve experienced both sides of the entrepreneurial journey—having failed three times across different sectors before finding success. Having been in both the boardroom & at the barricades, I bring the experience to tackle truly big problems—and the track record to prove it works—which is why I’m now turning my attention to tackling big problems for start ups, scale ups, and social impact. After witnessing diminishing standards of living and opportunity being captured only at the top, I’m committed to creating systems that distribute prosperity more broadly.
This approach requires three elements most organizations catastrophically lack at inflection points:
- Purpose that transcends profit & provides clear direction when conventional maps fail
- Power thoughtfully distributed & meaningfully applied for maximum impact
- Practice that turns strategic intent into consistent execution when it matters most
These three elements directly align with the three pillars that Sauder Strategy brings to the table: solid strategy, effective communications & scalable operations. Not as separate solutions, but as an integrated system designed to tackle big problems & drive lasting impact.
The Three Converging Disruptions
Make no mistake—we’re experiencing a true inflection point as three major disruptions crash together, each amplifying the others:
The generational hand-off isn’t just demographic change—it’s a fundamental power shift. Organizations, entrepreneurs, and investors treating this as simple succession planning are missing both the challenge & the opportunity. When established power structures become temporarily fluid, entirely new possibilities emerge for those bold enough to act.
The AI revolution isn’t another tech upgrade—it’s a complete reorganization of value creation. Those treating AI as merely a tool to optimize existing processes are missing the revolution. The strategic openings lie not in the technology itself but in the reconfigured relationships & workflows it enables.
The collapse of global systems isn’t just geopolitical shuffling—it’s a comprehensive redefinition of resilience & risk. The greatest opportunities exist not in navigating the chaos, but in building the foundational systems that will replace those now failing.
These converging disruptions are creating the perfect conditions for strategic Crash Balls—moments where precisely targeted interventions can reconfigure the entire field of play.
Meeting This Moment
That is why Sauder Strategy exists. To tackle big problems & drive lasting impact in the face of an increasingly disrupted world. To partner with 100 purpose & values driven organizations to create $1 Billion of economic & social value by 2035.
Over the coming essays, I’ll break down each element of our approach:
- What constitutes good Strategy in an age of converging disruptions
- How Communications must evolve to distribute power effectively & impactfully
- Why Operational practice drives effective tactics in support of strategic intent
- How Purpose, Power, & Practice together create the foundation for transformative impact in the coming decade
If you’re a leader or entrepreneur looking to start something, scale something, or nail the strategy you need to tackle big problems & drive lasting impact—then Sauder Strategy can help.
The game isn’t rigged—it’s fundamentally changing. Those who recognize this inflection point will not merely survive disruption but be the architects of what comes next.
Keep your head up when you go into contact.