Emergence: How Leaders Break Free From Outdated Th inking

Navigate leadership transformation when Industrial Age strategies no longer apply

In Emergence: How Leaders Break Free from Outdated Thinking, Jennifer Vessels ― CEO of Next Step and the change agent who led Adobe's shift from packaged software to cloud subscriptions, from during which its market value grew from $16 billion to $250 billion ― delivers a proven approach for leading organizations through rapid, converging disruptions in which traditional planning approaches consistently fail to produce results.

The book introduces the P.E.A.C.E. compass ― Purpose, Exploration, Action, Collaboration, Empowerment ― a structured approach for thriving when predetermined paths disappear. Drawing on transformation work with Adobe, Cisco, Novartis, Schneider Electric, and IKEA, Vessels shows how to integrate AI with human talent, empower multi-generational teams, and build organizations that are ready for continuous change.

Readers will also discover:

• Strategies for navigating five converging forces ― Speed, Confidence, Meaning, Pressure, and Human/AI disruption ― reshaping the leadership landscape
• Practical AI integration approaches used within global enterprises including Van Ameyde, IKEA, and Barloworld
• How to shift from fear-based decision-making to intuition-driven, experiential leadership that produces measurable organizational results
• Tiger team structures and empowerment approaches that release collective capability at scale across large organizations
• The story of Marie, a young woman who navigated wartime Europe on purpose and confidence alone ― proof that the P.E.A.C.E. principles are timeless and accessible to anyone, regardless of title or authority
• Lessons from IKEA's six-year Korean market entry and Novartis's approach to restructuring every six months

Designed for CEOs, executives, managers, and anyone struggling to keep up, Emergence provides the approach leaders need when markets shift faster than traditional planning allows, with tested lessons from engagements with Adobe, Cisco, Google, IKEA, Microsoft, and Novartis.

The future is emerging. Take action now ― before it moves without you.

"Jennifer Vessels has captured the new reality but also powerfully lays out how we can navigate productive ways into the future."
―Stuart Crainer, cofounder Thinkers50

"Your greatest competitive advantage today is quietly becoming your most dangerous blind spot tomorrow. In this book, Jennifer Vessels distills two decades of experience to provide an approach for leaders ready to trade the comfort of expertise for the courage of navigation."
―Sunil Gupta, Professor Digital Strategy/Innovation, Harvard

JENNIFER VESSELS doesn’t just talk about the future―she builds it. As CEO of Next Step, she has driven transformation for Adobe, Cisco, Google, IKEA, Microsoft, and Novartis across Silicon Valley and Europe. Her P.E.A.C.E. approach―Purpose, Exploration, Action, Collaboration, and Empowerment―equips leaders worldwide to act.