Soldier vs Scout

Autopilot can bite you in the backside.

As I’ve been talking to leaders recently, you can almost reach out and touch the uncertainty in the air. A residual sense that where we'll be at the end of this year is hard to see, and could surprise us all.

There’s a conviction that 2026 is going to ask more of them and their teams than anyone expects.

Which is why a team on autopilot is dangerous.

Autopilot is brilliant for consistency and stability… but stinks when the map is inherently changing, and new mountains and valleys are emerging.

How do you know when this is becoming risky? It shows up in defensiveness. When we’re attached to autopilot-esque “way we’ve always done things”, it primes what Julia Galef calls the soldier mindset:

🔫 Soldiers protect their positions.

🔎 Scouts map the terrain.

Curiosity is the difference, and trust me, it's still there in the team. Like a flashlight in a pocket, waiting to be switched on.

🎬 The short video below is on shifting from soldier to scout.

And if you want to help switch on curiosity for the whole team, the Commercial Curiosity Lab is a 3-hour hands-on session designed to do exactly that. Not just talk about curiosity. Feel it. As Sir Ken Robinson puts it, “Curiosity is the engine of achievement.”

Interested? Drop me a line.