25 Shifts to Shape Commercial Success in 2025
Each 5.55 billion active internet users can think, act, and lead globally. Will you in 2025?
In 2024, we’ve explored key global shifts shaping how leaders think, act, and lead globally for a strategic edge. While certain world leaders are reinforcing borders through nationalistic policies, other leaders across business, politics, and society are dismantling barriers, making it faster, smarter, and more impactful for leaders anywhere to develop global strategies that secure positive-sum outcomes.
These trends will likely accelerate in 2025.
Below are 25 shifts, each an invitation to expand your worldview, make better sense of the world, and achieve globally ambitious goals in the year ahead.
De-risk through diversification. The interconnectedness of global systems has highlighted vulnerabilities, making diversification essential. Digital strategies offer low-risk pathways to test and enter global markets efficiently. Read more
Use shifts in borders and barriers as competitive advantage. New, digitally-enabled maps reveal connectivity and transformation beyond traditional sovereign boundaries, reshaping competitive strategies for the future. Read more
Embed leverage in your strategy. Intangible assets like data and intellectual property are key drivers of global scaling. This approach enables exponential growth without heavy investment in physical infrastructure. Read more
Understand where value, wealth, and power will emerge by 2050. By 2050, over the next 25 years, the global economy will more than double, driven by significant contributions from nations like India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Asia (excluding Developed Markets) will contribute 40% of global GDP, marking a dramatic shift from 2000 when Developed Markets dominated at 77%. Read more
Network in the middle. Middle powers like India, Indonesia, and Brazil are gaining influence, with their combined GDP already surpassing the US when adjusted for purchasing power. These nations offer untapped markets, rising technological capabilities, and growing middle-class consumer bases. It pays to build a network with leaders in these nations, despite a tendency to stick with peers in comparable markets. It is not a numbers game, with quality over quantity driving results. Read more
Discover hidden signals for growth and innovation. Social enterprises and entrepreneurs contribute US$2 trillion to global GDP, as highlighted by the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index. This underscores the economic potential in often-overlooked areas of innovation. Read more
Follow or focus on profit with purpose in high-growth arenas. High-growth markets, valued at US$29-US$48 trillion by McKinsey, are driven by technological and business model shifts. Early investments in these areas enable organizations to combine purpose with profitability. Read more
Leverage global networks for resilience. Digital platforms eliminate geographical constraints, enabling leaders to connect, collaborate, and adapt globally. This positions them to create win-wins in a borderless business environment. It can pay to join or create a community of people who are driven towards the same, or a similar, globally ambitious goal. Read more
Design for opportunity, not location. Global digital platforms and shifting consumer preferences allow businesses to focus on opportunities rather than geographic limits. Flexible workforces and emerging technologies enhance this adaptability. Read more
Challenge assumptions for breakthroughs. Global access to emerging technologies empowers individuals to innovate outside traditional centres of discovery. This fosters unexpected breakthroughs and commercial growth. Read more
Recognize that where you go shapes your future. Companies like Netflix and Dyson have leveraged international markets to drive innovation and revenue growth. Their global outlook offers a roadmap for success. Read more
See innovation hotspots that are emerging everywhere. Cities like Riyadh and Ho Chi Minh City are becoming centres of innovation, driven by youthful talent and local adaptation. These decentralised hubs rival traditional tech centres. Read more
Find possibility where most see problems. Digital tools are transforming the lives of displaced populations by creating scalable solutions for resilience and economic independence. Read more
See more to achieve more. Expanding your worldview, with strategic discernment, fosters innovation and equips leaders to navigate complex, interconnected global challenges effectively. Read more
Be heard where it counts. While women in Afghanistan were silenced in 2024, Heather Cox Richardson’s digital success, earning US$1 million per month, demonstrates how platforms empower individuals to amplify their voices and reach global audiences. Read more
See where SDG wins are emerging. With the 2030 deadline approaching, and targets falling short, local enterprises in the Global South are driving innovative grassroots solutions to global challenges. Read more
Recognize the youth-driven power shift. The world’s rising workforce in low- and middle-income countries contrasts with aging populations in developed nations, promising profound shifts in economic and political power. Read more
Ignore the experts when necessary. Breakthrough leaders like Katalin Karikó, whose relentless pursuit of ambitious goals earned her a Nobel Prize, demonstrate the power of challenging scepticism and defying conventional wisdom to achieve ambitious goals. Read more
Expect ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results. Unexpected innovators are redefining markets, proving that ordinary individuals can drive extraordinary outcomes. Read more
Think like a modern-day explorer. Leaders who embrace curiosity and global engagement shape their organizations, and leadership trajectory, for a future defined by dynamic global interactions. Read more
Collect dots to connect them. Comprehensive market intelligence helps leaders mitigate risks and identify new opportunities, making global insights essential. Dots can now be collected with increasing speed, ease, and at little or no cost. When gathered far and wide, they become a competitive advantage, enabling leaders to connect the dots and secure a strategic edge. Read more
Wander and wonder to unlock potential. Exploring diverse cultures and asking transformative questions fosters new possibilities for innovation and collaboration. Read more
Expand who you know to what you know. Building global networks enables leaders to harness emerging trends and technologies from diverse markets. Read more
Collaborate to drive global goals. Strategic alliances, even among competitors, create innovative solutions and drive mutual success in complex times. Read more
Set goals beyond current capabilities. Dynamic models help leaders envision ambitious futures, enabling transformative actions and policies that drive global goals. Read more
Today, there are 5.55 billion active internet users. Each living person on the planet can now effectively learn, leverage, and lead in a world shaped by interconnected systems and digital networks.
Stephen Hawking, British theoretical physicist, reminds us:
“We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.”
This transformation has opened unprecedented opportunities for leaders who are ready to think, act, and lead to achieve globally ambitious goals.
Like neurons, our digital connections strengthen the potential for collaboration, innovation, and shared progress across borders. Leaders who embrace this interconnectedness can leverage diverse perspectives, access global intelligence, and act with agility in a rapidly evolving environment - securing strategic advantages and creating positive-sum outcomes in 2025 and beyond.
As we approach 2025, the above 25 shifts serve as invitations for ambitious leaders to explore what’s working globally - and make it work for them.
My hope is that leaders striving for positive-sum outcomes will achieve success faster, smarter, and with greater impact in the next year, five years, and 25 years.
How we see the world shapes what we achieve in it.
See more. Make better sense of the world. Secure your strategic edge.
Going Global in 2025
Looking to expand internationally? Take the “Expanding Beyond Borders: A Global Strategy Assessment” quiz to see where you stand and unlock new opportunities.
Three Questions to Guide Global Success
What if the questions you ask could reshape your business strategy and position your company to be the global market leader?
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Is it a shift to optimism or pessimism?
https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/ipsos