Change navigator and futurist April Rinne is an expert in helping leaders and organizations adapt to uncertainty, uncover opportunity, and build future resilience. At Oslo Business Forum, she posed a timely challenge: what if the goal isn’t to fight change, but to fall in love with it?
We live in an age where leaders are juggling a thousand competing priorities, and our decisions often feel wrong no matter what we choose. It’s as if, she said, we’re all living in our own version of the multiverse—everything, everywhere, all at once.
This, April explained, is a world in flux. We’re not living in a world that’s simply changing. We’re navigating a landscape full of constant, relentless, never-ending change and uncertainty.
“Today, I’m going to offer you a way out of this by adopting a Flux Mindset,” April said. “You are going to boost your flux capacity, build your future resilience, and be ready for the big shift.”
April Rinne: Change navigator and futurist. Leading authority on how to build future resilience.
A Flux Mindset
A Flux Mindset begins with awareness. It’s the ability to see all change—good or bad, expected or unexpected—as an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. It’s not about ignoring the discomfort of change but using it as raw material for growth.
"Uncertainty is opportunity in its purest form."
“Uncertainty,” April said, “is opportunity in its purest form.”
Mindset isn’t theoretical. It’s something we have to practice. It shapes how we perceive disruption, how we lead our teams through volatility, and how we show up when the world refuses to slow down.
April’s own story illustrates the power of perspective. When she was 20 years old and studying overseas, both of her parents died suddenly in a car crash. In a moment, everything changed. That tragedy forced her to ask herself: Do I have the inner strength, practices, and relationships to see myself through no matter what life throws my way?
She began a lifelong exploration of how people, teams, and societies adapt, and how they can see things differently. Over the course of more than 20 years and in 100 countries, her work has centered on helping others develop the same capacity. Because she believes that our best chance of positive change lies in our ability to shed old skins, try new things, and make things better.
What Are You Practicing Becoming?
April reminded leaders that we are each in a constant state of becoming. The question, she asked, is what are you practicing becoming?
Are we practicing curiosity or cynicism? Agility or resistance? Hope or fear? Are we practicing becoming the best leaders we can be?
There is no single solution, no silver bullet for change. But practice matters. Every day offers a choice between growing more resilient or getting stuck in the way things used to be.
The Flux Superpowers
Through her research and work with leaders across industries, April has identified eight “Flux Superpowers”—habits that can be developed to thrive in times of uncertainty. At Oslo Business Forum, she explored three, calling them the most consistent predictors of adaptability and sustainable performance.
April reminded leaders that a lot of what we’ve been taught about leadership has assumed a world we can control, not a world in flux. “Think of these as new rules for navigating unending change and being ready for that big shift,” she said.
Superpower #1: Run Slower
The first superpower feels counterintuitive in a culture that celebrates speed. April invited leaders to consider: what if the fastest way forward is to run slower?
“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,” she explained.
"Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast."
When our emergency pace becomes our everyday pace, our brains start to believe we’re being chased by tigers all the time. We lose focus, creativity, and foresight. By pausing to breathe, reflect, and prioritize, leaders regain their ability to see patterns, manage risk, and spot opportunity.
Gaining the pace to thrive starts with asking these questions:
- When do I have new ideas?
- When do I notice new things?
- When do I make my best decisions?
- When am I able to show up for others?
Running slower doesn’t mean failing or falling behind. It means leading at a sustainable, intentional pace, balancing faster outer movement with a calmer inner rhythm.
Superpower #2: Let Go
The second superpower is learning how and when to let go.
Letting go doesn’t mean giving up or shedding responsibility. It means questioning long-held assumptions and recognizing what no longer serves us.
April listed the things leaders often need to release:
- Past decisions
- The need to have all the answers
- Grudges and blame
- Outdated beliefs and assumptions
“When you let go,” she said, “you enable others to contribute, step up, and lead. If you don’t let go, you are holding your team back.”
She contrasted companies that cling to old models with those willing to reimagine the future. Hotel chains saw disruption coming, but couldn’t let go of their model. Airbnb seized the opportunity. Today, Airbnb’s market value surpasses the world’s top hotel brands combined. "When we dwell on things we can’t control, we get stuck."
Letting go is a strategic advantage. It’s what allows leaders to practice what the future could be and become who they need to be next.
Superpower #3: See What’s Invisible
The third superpower asks us to develop the courage to see what’s invisible.
History shows that deep change often sneaks up on us. Few imagined that the smartphone would become a camera, TV, and travel agent all in one, all in the palm of your hand. Yet once we experience profound change, it’s hard to imagine life without it.
The ability to perceive what’s missing—or what’s emerging—is one of a leader’s greatest assets. But we can’t see what we’re not looking for, what we don’t expect, or what we refuse to believe. Our own fears, assumptions, and privileges can blind us.
Seeing what’s invisible requires curiosity, humility, and the willingness to unlearn. “If you don’t believe something is possible,” April said, “you won’t see it—even if it’s right in front of you.”
Practicing the Future
In a world of relentless flux, April reminded leaders that practice builds foresight, and foresight builds resilience. The leaders who will thrive are those who can move from reacting to embracing, from controlling to creating.
To lead through uncertainty, we must master three things:
1. Run slower. Find your sustainable pace.
2. Let go. Release what no longer serves you.
3. See what’s invisible. Notice what others miss.
When we apply these practices, we begin to see uncertainty not as chaos, but as a source of creativity in motion. With a Flux Mindset, we don’t just survive change; we learn to love it.
Key Points
Questions to Consider
Join Oslo Business Forum 2026: The Human Edge now! The Human Edge is about unlocking the strengths that no machine can replicate: creativity, courage, trust, and resilience to thrive. Don't get left out - join Northern Europe's greatest leadership happening today!