My inspirations for 2026
They were multiple and multidisciplinary. I give you some of them and what the wise Interim Manager could take away from them.
Daring to think outside the box
In his essay “The World and the Earth” published in March 2025, the archaeologist, historian, and writer David Van Reybrouck once again pushes us to dare to think outside the usual areas of reflection, the geopolitical frameworks that still dominate the world today. As he has already rethought the functioning of democracy in light of the 21st century, he dares, for the better, to question the principle of the sovereignty of states to face future challenges, whether they are climatic, related to public health, or digital (https://www.davidvanreybrouck.be).
IM’spiring: He dares to question certain principles that seem immutable, to move us towards a better world.
There is no age limit for innovation
At 71 years old, chef Danny Horseele has reinvented himself at… Moscou. Not in the Russian capital, but in this so-called area of Ghent, which owes its historical name to the Cossacks who stayed there more than 200 years ago after defeating Napoleon’s army at Waterloo. So far the historical fact. Because if the starred chef will make history in his turn, it is thanks to his still intact, particularly innovative spirit, praised by many food critics.
IM’spiring: There is no age limit for freedom and new challenges.
“Less is more”
This is a principle of minimalism popularized in the twentieth century by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which suggests that simplicity and clarity lead to greater impact. The architect inspired the “brutalist” movement widely discussed in the successful independent film, “The Brutalist”. He invites us to seek the “quintessence of beauty”.
IM’spiring: His time is by definition limited, so he must go to the essentials to maximize his impact.
“Less but better”
The adage comes first of all from the world of consumption. It applies to wine, for example, with a tendency to drink less but drink better, quality wines, to give a particular intensity to a moment of pure pleasure, even if it means making it rarer. Daring to lighten an organization of certain structures that hinder its development and profitability is sometimes a difficult but courageous choice, which can ultimately prove to be beneficial.
IM’spiring: He/She is not really part of the furniture, nor of the past, nor of the future of a company. He has no choice but to give the best of himself for the time allotted to him. In the end, everyone wins.
Why… being Sinek-al
The American inspirational speaker on business leadership, Simon Sinek, teaches us through his simple and fundamental question, “why” (we do what we do), how to foster purpose-driven leadership.
IM’spiring: Through his “The Optimism Company” (https://simonsinek.com), he indirectly shares some recipes for facing the future of interim management with full confidence. From the importance of “expert parents” to the fundamental principle of accountability, his books and interventions, which he tinges with humor and self-relativism, are permanent sources of inspiration for people who want to make a difference.
To remain in control of our reality
One is a fiction that comes dangerously close to reality, Paul Lynch’s “A Prophet Song”, in which a culturally and geographically close country has fallen into dictatorship. The other, “The Hour of the Predator” by Giuliano da Empoli, plunges us into the cynical reality of authoritarian power. If both open our eyes in their own way, they make us realize how privileged we still are.
IM’spiring: The freedom to say, to act, to formulate one’s opinion, to offer one’s expertise, what more needs to be added?
Between mistrust and admiration…
…one can also find inspiration. During a stay in the Peloponnese, I could not help but think of the incomparable military strategist that was Alcibiades, to whom many books and plays have recently been dedicated. If his opportunism, his lack of scruples, and his arrogance are absolutely to be abandoned, he can be appreciated for his strategic genius and charisma.
IM’spiring: To read him, to remember the good, to shamelessly get rid of the bad and to understand how he was able, always with the same commitment, to carry out missions for totally opposite sponsors: 25 centuries after his death, Alcibiades still impresses us.
