PEOPLE matters

Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey reflect on what’s involved in taking a longer-term perspective in a fast-changing world.

As we begin 2026, the world continues to be in state of flux, changing rapidly and unpredictably before our eyes. Venezuela, Ukraine, Iran, GROK and tariffs are all in the news today.

Geopolitical upheavals and advances in artificial intelligence challenge our assumptions, forcing us to adapt and learn – or risk being left behind.

We live in a world that can feel overwhelming. There never seems to be enough time. We are bombarded with information and often so busy that it can be difficult to know where to start.

The pressure to meet immediate targets, deadlines and expectations is unrelenting. Something we experience ourselves whenever the time comes round to write our column!

So, it is hardly surprising that in these circumstances many of us, organisations as well as individuals, adopt a pragmatic short-term focus, concentrating on the immediate task at hand, looking for simple pragmatic solutions that work quickly, and not worrying too much about an unpredictable future that may or may not happen. We just want to get the job done.

Unfortunately, a short-term approach such as this has its problems in times where the environment is changing rapidly. We live in a connected world, where reputation matters, trust is hard won, and the consequences of our actions have implications beyond ourselves.

The decisions we make today can be seen in a different light when circumstances change.

For example, many airports greatly reduced their staff numbers during the pandemic when the priority was to cut costs. Five years later, these same airports are facing the opposite challenge of attracting and retaining people to be able to cope with the growing demand.

To think and act with the long-term in mind requires a different approach to the operational mindset that is so often our default paradigm.

It needs a strategic ‘big picture’ view of the world – a sense of purpose, values, principles and ethics, which go beyond the immediate financial realities to include consideration of people, environment and community impact; a systems perspective which tries to understand how things are interconnected; and a willingness to accept that not everything has a simple immediate solution.

It also requires patience. Take the clothing company Patagonia. Over several decades it has deliberately taken a sustainability perspective. It switched to organic cotton in the 1990s despite higher costs and supply chain issues, investing in recycling materials and repairability, and built products designed to last rather than encouraging repeat purchases.

As a consequence, it has developed strong brand loyalty, and its reputation has attracted committed employees, partners and customers. It has achieved sustained long-term commercial success and is resilient during industry downturns.

There are many encouraging signs that Airport Sector leadership is promoting a sustainability ethos. For example, the ACI Webinar ‘Future Proofing the Airport Workforce’ in December 2025, attracted hundreds of participants.

An ACI project on a global framework for ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) was set up and reported in August 2025. The pioneering ACI Carbon Accreditation Programme has expanded to include 625 accredited airports.

However, there is still some way to go to put this into mainstream practice. The world political context is less supportive than it was. There are pressures for growth and expansion which could result in cutting corners.

There is also a need to develop more leaders who have the skills and abilities to do this, who can see the big picture, have strong personal values, relate well to others, are willing to collaborate, and can drive change.

Still, as the benefits become obvious, the development of a sustainable high-performance ethos is one change that can only gather pace.

About the authors

Terri Morrissey and Dr Richard Plenty run ACI’s Human Resources training. They received a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association in June 2022 for their leadership in advancing global psychology. Contact them at info@thisis.eu