Shaping Purpose newsletter

There is a question sitting just beneath the current AI narrative, one so obvious it is routinely skipped over in boardroom presentations, conferences and investor briefings: If AI displaces enough workers to generate the productivity gains its proponents promise, who has the money left to buy the products? While AI is accelerating productivity at a dizzying pace, the economic system it operates within remains stubbornly demand-driven. We are currently running a high-stakes e

There’s a narrative we’ve been sold about AI That it’s borderless. That it lives in the cloud. That it scales infinitely. But what we’re seeing unfolding right now tells a different story and most organisations are not paying attention to it. While boardrooms debate AI strategy, productivity tools and governance frameworks, a conflict thousands of miles away is quietly threatening the physical foundations that the entire AI economy depends on. Because AI isn’t abstract. It ru

Why leadership, values and people matter now more than ever The past few weeks in the AI world have been revealing. Not simply because of new capabilities emerging from research labs, but because of how people are responding to them. On one side, AI systems are advancing at extraordinary pace. Recent research shows autonomous agents increasingly capable of working independently for extended periods, performing complex tasks across areas such as software engineering, cybersecu

There is a wealth divide forming that hasn't announced itself loudly. It isn't arriving with one dramatic event or a single technological breakthrough. Instead, it's emerging slowly, almost politely, while we are busy getting on with our lives. On one side will be those with access: to adaptable skills, evolving knowledge, supportive networks, and the confidence to navigate uncertainty. On the other, will be those who were told that stability would come from doing the right t

Hello, Happy New Year! We hope you are reading this having had a restful and peaceful festive break. Now that is over and we are all back to routine, the real work begins. January has a particular energy. There’s momentum, ambition, new tools being introduced and often, a quiet pressure to move fast before we’ve fully decided what we’re moving towards. As we step into 2026, many organisations are feeling the pressure to “do AI” quickly but rushing often leads to resistance

The conversation around AI is everywhere. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it’s often urgent. In boardrooms and backchannels, AI is being adopted at pace—integrated, piloted, invested in. Headlines tell us it’s the future. Founders feel the pressure. Teams roll out tools. And yet... for many, the question no one’s stopping long enough to ask is: to what end? What we’re seeing isn’t a lack of effort, it’s a lack of clarity. That’s what “shaping purpose” means to us. It’s not about c

That’s what “shaping purpose” means to me. It’s not about grand mission statements or brand slogans. Instead, it’s about doing work with intention. It’s about choosing what to build, what to leave behind, and how to move forward with more meaning—especially in a world that rewards speed over thought. Intentional Decision-Making At Seven Palms Consultancy, this is the starting point. We help organisations make sharper decisions about how they innovate. But strategy alone isn’t