'Think Week' Wisconsin Style

Where do you do your best thinking? Bill Gates famously spent weeks each year at a “hideaway cottage on a cedar forest waterfront” in a ritual called “Think Week.” I do, too.

I just returned from 21 days at a cottage on a cedar-lined waterfront. Built by my grandfather and Dad in 1926, the place is surrounded by 80 acres of wild- ness. And while Bill’s place probably had a road, plumbing and electricity, the place I retreat to each August has none of these.

Since going there as a kid, it’s always been heaven on earth to me. As an adult, I love it even more for the challenge of self-reliance. I treasure it for the insight and foresight that comes when hiking with my Springer Spaniel, kayaking and watching the eagles soar or the Perseids showering my view of the Milky Way.

Gates used his “Think Weeks” to consider the future of technology. I consider the future of competitive advantage. The focus of my firm is on the components of business, marketing and branding that contribute to competitive advantage. They are never far from my mind. Nor are the methods of critical thinking and problem-solving that I teach to executives, enabling them to strategically plan for future advantage despite the pace of change, economic volatility, and constant unpredictability.

This year, my thoughts centered on marketplace dynamics that are changing advantage. There’s nothing like being well-rested, free and unburdened by mundane tasks, to have some of the best insights ever. This year’s concern: my latest research findings that I will officially reveal at an international conference in London Sept. 30 and in Washington, D.C., at the October conference of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Here’s a preview of latest study’s conclusions:

• Competitive advantage has evolved, and most executives are unaware of this.

• Not realizing this, or what’s driving the change, C-Suites and Boards of Directors often lack insight into the factors that influence competitive advantage. And they risk investing in outdated business and revenue models. They can also squander time and money that they could invest in game-changing efficiencies and innovations, driving company growth and increasing margins. They will not get the significant benefits of AI and Agentic AI.

• Given the pace of change and technology, those unaware of the shift in what now fuels advantage will be unprepared to maintain or update any advantage they currently have. They risk being left “in the dust” of other companies whose leaders understand the new drivers and enablers of competitive advantage. When I open the cabin each year the inside is covered with dust. I know being “in dust” is not fun. An aversion to dust is also why Bill Gates prioritized “Think Weeks.” If you don’t have the opportunity to think without distractions like Bill and me, you can tap my thoughts on your future on my LinkedIn page or on the Lindsay Foresight and Stratagem website.