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April Rinne

The world won’t settle. We live in what futurist April Rinne calls a state of “flux”—a relentless, unpredictable, no-turning-back swirl of change. In her talk, How to Make Change Suck Less, Rinne gave leaders a toolkit not for controlling uncertainty—but for becoming better at moving with it.

This isn’t about being fearless. It’s about being ready. Rinne, who’s worked in more than 100 countries and experienced profound personal tragedy, doesn’t speak from theory. At age 20, she lost both parents in a car crash. Her life flipped. She didn’t have a choice but to see differently—and that lens became the foundation of what she now teaches global leaders: developing a flux mindset.

Flux, she says, isn’t just change. It’s change that never stops, never stabilizes. Think Everything Everywhere All at Once, but real life. And no kung fu skills required—just the willingness to upgrade your leadership habits. Rinne laid out three “flux superpowers” that leaders need right now: slow your pace, let go of control, and learn to see what others miss.

Run slower to move smarter. That’s not a contradiction—it’s neuroscience. In our speed-obsessed world, fast is default. But our brains don’t function well in constant sprint mode. Clarity disappears. Creativity evaporates. Leadership suffers. “When you're racing,” Rinne warns, “you tend to make foolish mistakes.” The remedy? Adopt the mantra: slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Running slower doesn’t mean doing less—it means choosing better.

• Practical tip: Start your meetings with a “slow minute”—60 seconds of silence to breathe, reset, and refocus. It signals calm and control when everything else feels urgent.

Next, let go. Control is leadership’s most overrated obsession. Rinne dismantles the myth that leaders must have all the answers. In a world this uncertainty, pretending you do is both dishonest and harmful. Instead, she advocates for strategic surrender—letting go of outdated beliefs, flawed assumptions, and the need to be right. “What gets us in trouble,” she says, quoting Mark Twain, “is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just isn’t so.”

• Practical tip: Create a “Let Go List” with your team. Include legacy processes, rituals, or assumptions that no longer serve your purpose. Revisit it quarterly—and act.

Finally, see the invisible. The biggest threats—and the biggest opportunities—are often the ones we overlook. We miss things that feel impossible, uncomfortable, or simply unfamiliar. But once seen, they’re undeniable. Rinne challenges leaders to actively question their beliefs: “What are you practicing at becoming?” That one question reveals whether you’re staying flexible—or stuck.

• Practical tip: Schedule “Unsee Reviews”—monthly sessions where your team reflects on blind spots, biases, or missed trends. What did we not notice that we should have?

Rinne’s message lands because it’s brutally honest and radically hopeful. Change won’t stop. Complexity won’t shrink. But we can get better at navigating it. By practicing these counterintuitive habits, not mastering them once, but practicing them constantly—leaders can thrive where others freeze.

In her words: “A flux mindset doesn't drop from the sky... It’s something you must apply and put into action.”

The goal isn’t to control the chaos. It’s to build your capacity to thrive inside it.

Text: Mia Heiskanen   Photos: Pasi Salminen

April Rinne

April Rinne is a global authority on the future of work and author of Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change. She’s advised governments, startups, and Fortune 500s, and has been named one of the world’s 50 leading female futurists by Forbes. Her insights are shaped by global experience, deep personal loss, and an unshakable belief that uncertainty is not a threat—but a gift

 

April Rinne: Flux – 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change

A practical and inspiring guide to building resilience and adaptability in a world that won’t slow down. Essential reading for future-ready leaders!