I began the year with a blunt reality check: leadership today is forged in public, under pressure, and in real time. With Donald Trump already installed as US president for his second term, markets have moved faster than at any point in my career, reacting not to speculation but to executive action, rhetoric, and resolve. The first lesson this year has burned itself into my thinking: certainty beats comfort.
The more accurately you can predict the demand for your services, the better your position will be when the demand actually arrives. This is particularly important in the case of perishable goods that need to be sold before the season ends. For example, if you're selling turkeys for Christmas, you'll need to take orders early on. Strengthen your supply chain before peak hits
The watershed moment came in July when the federal government became the largest shareholder of MP Materials, a California miner of rare earth elements for the oft-overlooked but critical magnets that help connect the global economy. The government's unusual foray into private industry was accompanied by new rules setting minimum U.S. market prices for some of these materials-a pricing floor it said was necessary to protect MP Materials from Chinese competitors it accused of "dumping" their goods at artificially low prices.
When Hurricane Helene barreled through North Carolina in September 2024, General Motors' artificial intelligence system had already predicted that one of its key suppliers, Auria Solutions, would take a direct hit. The automotive acoustics and textiles company manufactures carpets for General Motors' full-size SUVs - like the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade - at its plant in North Carolina. When the storm pummeled the town, the factory lost water and power, but General Motors was prepared for the production-halting damage.
