We've noticed a phrase cropping up again and again among clients, board members, and friends of the firm: "We're going back to basics."

It's a phrase with real depth. At first glance, it can sound defensive or like a retreat—a way to dial back ambition and focus narrowly on core business functions.

But we're experiencing it differently: as a proactive move to strengthen and pressure-test the fundamentals for a new era of business. With wave after wave of challenges washing over them every week, leaders are seeking an anchor in something true, bringing radical focus to what they do best. It makes sense—when the world overwhelms us with complexity, returning to basics can provide clarity. Even AI, for all its wizardry, begins with nothing more than ones and zeros.

For our second issue of Dispatches, we unpack "back to basics" in all its dimensions: the what, the why, and the how.

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Why is everyone talking about "going back to basics"?

PURPOSE: Your basic reason for existence

"In radically changing times, it is your role as a leader to define what endures and then change everything else."

So quipped Jon Iwata (former Chief Brand Officer, IBM) several weeks ago at our intimate breakfast gathering for CMOs from across industries. The question of what to hold on to and what to reinvent was top of mind, and much of the conversation centered on truly understanding what's at the heart of leaders' relationships with their customers. It mirrors the high-profile efforts underway at organizations such as Nike, Starbucks, and Gap. In describing his strategy (aptly named 'Back to Starbucks'), CEO Brian Niccol asserts, "The Third Place is our heritage; it's needed more than ever, and we're reclaiming it."

How do you best strengthen and recommit to your raison d'être? "This isn't about re-living the past. It's a deeply creative act of modernizing what makes you, you," says Managing Partner Nicolas Maitret.

VALUES: The fundamental beliefs you hold

"Values really show their value not in the good times, but in the challenging times. That's when we need them most, and it's through that lens that we crafted ours."

A CEO of a beauty retailer shared this with us recently, describing essential steps toward building a culture of competitive advantage. We're seeing many leaders look hard at long-established cultural pillars and question whether they're sufficient for the current climate, or distinct enough to guide their people forward.  

Are you truly getting the intended value from your values? "While organizations are feeling the spotlight in today's political and business environment, leaders are still very much making choices," says Venture Partner Marc Winter. "Many are staring at the words plastered on their walls, wondering if they're enough to meet the moment."

VISION: What you're collectively working toward

"The classic five-year vision statement is over. It's just unrealistic given the current environment. I know my people need to be inspired, but I'm limiting us to two years."

A CEO of an apparel company recently shared this with us over lunch. We've seen many leadership teams default to managing toward shortened time frames. The challenge? It limits aspiration and inspiration.

Is there a real vision embedded in your strategy? Partner Carina Cortese shares, "When companies shorten the timescale of their strategy in favor of a more agile, compass-like approach (versus a detailed map), they can't overlook the necessity of a 'north star'—such as a ten-year vision—to guide decisions, so that each two-year strategy builds toward something meaningful."

SPEED AND DECISION-MAKING: Who is accountable for change

"We have a really ambitious agenda in a globally matrixed company, in a highly regulated industry, with ten different decision-making frameworks."

So remarked a frustrated client: the CEO of a fintech company who is seeing antiquated systems get in the way of being able to respond to the market with the necessary speed. Across multiple industries, we're counseling leaders seeking greater rigor and clarity across their decision-making processes.  

Are your processes getting in the way of speedy impact?  "For some time, I think organizations have been operating with a lot of noise and trying different things to figure out what will work and what will stick," says Partner Andy Chern. "We're absolutely entering an era of radical focus to drive real velocity. Clarity around decision-making on what matters is essential."

LEADERSHIP: How you accelerate action

"Middle management is actually where the true power of every organization sits. Most employees don't think about the CEO on a day-to-day basis. They think about their boss and what the boss is or isn't asking them to do."

A leader in the food industry brought this up as he was considering the design of a series of upcoming town halls. Indeed, middle management makes or breaks the connective tissue between vision and execution.

Are the front-line teams and middle managers clear on where you're headed? "Getting middle managers deeply invested in scaling your strategy is where the magic sits in any transformation," says Managing Partner Jason Baer. "These frontline leaders are the only people inside your organization with the ability to translate a corporate strategy into your teams' day-to-day work."

CULTURE: The basic questions behind working great together

"What are the basics when we show up to work every day? What do we want to feel like? Are you creating something of value? Do you know the person or the people that you're creating it for?"

Bree Groff, SYP Senior Advisor and author of the just-published book Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously), believes that humanness, empathy, and fun are "back to basics" elements often ignored. Feeling accomplished is basic; providing a valuable service, teaching, and learning are all basic.

Are you making space for joy in everyday work? "Work should be fun, it should feel human, we should do it with friends, with a sense of perspective, and create brilliant work as one part of a big, beautiful life," writes Groff. You can buy her book here.

Field Notes

🌍  At the Aspen Ideas Festival, conversations about AI dominated—but played out on very different time horizons. In a closed-door CEO breakfast, corporate leaders focused on the near-term race: accelerating adoption, investment, and innovation, including a push toward AGI. But the harder, longer-term questions—about AI's impact on minds, societies, and leadership itself—were left largely to economists, ethicists, and social scientists.

As one AI expert put it, "AI is overhyped in the short term, but wildly underhyped in the long term." Jonathan Haidt warned of its deepening effects on adolescent mental health. A new MIT study suggests AI may dampen creativity and memory. And Brené Brown put it bluntly: "AI is a certainty machine—but leadership isn't. Vulnerability is the source code of courage, and we're losing the capacity for it."

Our take: We need to spend more time in the middle distance—between the speed of today's race and the scale of tomorrow's consequences—asking the kinds of questions that still have the power to shape the outcome.

A peek into SYP

⏩ Partner Kendra Cooke challenges us to shift from passive "users" to active digital architects in the AI race—designing for meaning, learning by doing, and building cross-disciplinary teams that embrace productive failures.

↗️ As a core value, inclusion is frequently proclaimed—but it rarely guides design decisions, observes Partner Thorstein Klein. In this article, he proposes piloting an Org Design Lab to embed inclusivity directly into how we structure and evolve our organizations.

🔄 We've partnered with Defy Ventures to launch Timeless Talent, an initiative aimed at connecting organizations with a deeply skilled—and often overlooked—talent pool of individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration. In our report, you'll find stories from justice-impacted people and best practices from pioneering companies reaping the benefits of an inclusive workforce. We'd love to share a copy of our report. If interested, email us.

About us

Dispatches from the Collective delivers insights from SYPartners' work through human anecdotes, practical tips, and beautiful questions designed to help C-suite leaders navigate the unknown and act with purpose—shared in the spirit of helping all of us lead in a better way.

SYPartners is a consultancy that partners with clients at their critical turning points to design new possibilities for impact, create paths for long-term value, and build cultures of competitive advantage. For more than 30 years, we've helped transform some of the world's most iconic organizations by fusing strategy and design.