Staying on top of the global information cycle

Remember when the news was boring? When the “end of history” was being theorised by Francis Fukuyama as we entered the post-Cold War consensus. Those days look like a peaceful dream compared to the reality we live in today.

It feels like every morning, when we wake up and check our phones (an awful habit, I know), there’s a breaking story about a scandal, a conflict, a market shock, or a new law. Politics, technology, economics and geopolitics now collide daily, often in unpredictable ways.

The question for senior leaders becomes: how do you stay on top of it all? And how do you separate what genuinely matters to your organisation from the constant background noise?

Accept that volatility is the new baseline. 

The most important mindset shift is recognising that instability is no longer an exception - it is the operating environment. This is especially true in sectors like financial services, tech and energy, where regulation, innovation and public scrutiny evolve in parallel. The recent issue with Grok’s AI generation capabilities came out of nowhere – and weeks later there are now new laws in place in several countries. If your default assumption is that the next six months will be calm and predictable, you will constantly feel wrong-footed. Instead, treat uncertainty as normal and plan accordingly.

Understand that policy U-turns are common, and don’t overreact to every announcement.

Governments rarely get policy “right” the first time (or ever, in some cases). Consultations are launched, red lines are drawn, and then adjusted or reversed. We see this repeatedly: fintech regulation softened after industry feedback, agritech rules tweaked in response to food security concerns, energy policies reshaped by price shocks or supply constraints. Not every headline requires an immediate pivot. The skill is knowing when to pause, gather context, and wait for the second or third iteration before acting.

Lean on your Government Relations teams - and use them early. 

One of the biggest mistakes senior leaders make is engaging with their government relations teams too late, when a policy is already set in stone. Your GR teams exist to filter noise, provide political context, and explain what is likely to stick versus what is performative or provisional. They also understand timelines - when ministers are listening, when officials are drafting, and when decisions are effectively closed. Used properly, GR is not just a defensive function but an early-warning system.

Build structured ways to scan trends, rather than relying on gut instinct. 

Doom-scrolling is not a strategy. High-performing organisations put structure around horizon scanning: regular briefings, thematic trackers, and clear ownership of key issues. In energy, this might mean tracking planning reform, grid capacity and subsidy regimes. In agritech, it could be trade policy, environmental regulation and AI adoption. In fintech, payments, digital identity and financial inclusion. The goal is not to track everything, but to track the right things consistently.

Focus on second-order impacts, not just the headline change. 

The real implications of policy shifts are often indirect. A new environmental standard may reshape supply chains. A change in energy pricing can alter investment flows. A fintech rule designed for consumer protection might inadvertently raise barriers to entry or create unexpected gray-market entrants. Leaders who ask “what does this mean next?”, rather than stopping at the headline, are far better positioned to respond strategically.

Finally, give yourself permission to switch off occasionally. 

Staying informed does not mean being permanently “on”. Constant exposure to breaking news can create a false sense of urgency and fatigue. The best leaders carve out time to step back, reflect, and think longer-term. Ironically, this distance often improves judgement.

In a world that feels louder, faster and more chaotic than ever, staying on top of the global information cycle is less about consuming more information and more about building the right filters. Accept volatility, expect change, trust your experts, and focus on what genuinely matters.