Back to school: life long learning

Lifelong learning

This year, the INSEAD forum focused on regenerative leadership, lifelong learning and water stewardship – and World Waternet was a proud part of the programme. Amid royal guests again, water innovators and 1200 international leaders – from Queen Máxima to changemakers from the water world – one clear call rang out: lead with impact, act on a large scale.

Frodo represented World Waternet with a powerful message: ‘Water is the driving force behind every sustainable system. Without healthy water, there can be no healthy future.’ It is time for new leadership. Time to recognise water as a global common good. Time to truly realise system change.

Regenerative leadership

Today, leadership requires more than ever inner and system-oriented reflection. Not only: how do I keep my organisation healthy? But also: how do I ensure a healthy basis within myself? A lively conversation ensued about dynamic leadership and resilience. About the importance of regular check-ins – with yourself and your ecosystem. And about how that balance leads to sustainable action. Queen Máxima shared her insights on financial health and its impact on people, teams and systems – including water cycles. Her appeal:

‘Business success means creating value for your customers and contributing to sustainable performance with impact.’

Friendship as a leadership strategy

INSEAD Professor Subi Rangan threw a pebble into the pond with his plea: transform leadership into friendship. ‘Leadership is overrated. Friendship is underrated.’ Building competencies, trust, character, compassion and care should once again form the core of leadership. Not harder, but more human. Not faster, but more sustainable. With a shared compass and the courage to remain true to our values and to live authentically. After all, life is a marathon, not a sprint.

A world full of challenges

Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Green Growth, gave a sober analysis of tomorrow's world. Cyber threats, trade conflicts, climate stress – it's all coming together. His advice? "Fasten your seatbelt. The only true optimism is Fukuyama (writer) - optimism - based on the big picture and the long term. “If you look at the progress of human civilisation through the ages, it has never been linear.”

Water as a global game changer

Inspired by the report of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, World Waternet emphasised that a healthy water cycle is a global common good, to be protected for future generations, in the interest of us all. Together with our friend Henk Ovink (GCEW) and Truke Smoor (Cargill), Frodo shared our practical examples ‘– from global vision to local action’. Leaders from outside the water sector asked relevant questions: How do we really value water? What is the water footprint throughout the entire chain? And how can a non-water company also include the water footprint in its strategy?

Every policy measure must bend for our water

The call is crystal clear: we must step up the pace when it comes to water stewardship. We must understand the entire global water cycle, green and blue water. As Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew once said: ‘Every other policy must bend at the knees for our water survival.’

Mission-driven approach

Both the Global Commission and World Waternet embrace a mission-driven approach. Our WaterMBA approach strengthens the maturity of local water organisations through peer-to-peer cooperation, with a focus on:

• Good governance
• Operational efficiency
• Financial sustainability
• Integrated water cycle management (IWRM)

We believe in learning by doing. In curiosity and connection. In an open-system approach (Water Cycle Partnerships) with sustainable financing. And in training leaders who consider water in every strategic decision. By educating our (future) leaders, inspiring them and connecting them to water challenges – clean or dirty – we open up new ways of thinking. Together we strive for water stewardship, more Water MBAs, and therefore more impact!

After our interactive talk Henk and Frodo walked from the Passenger Cruise Terminal to the Marine area for a short swim. You are all invited, you are the movement.