Staying future fit

Recently the final report on the bankruptcy of the Dutch V&D retail chain came out, questioning whether the directors were liable or not. Interesting material, since V&D’s story is not so different from Thomas Cook or any other company that didn’t manage to stay future fit. The report concludes that V&D was operating in a fast-changing market, didn’t react fast enough and was lacking in business innovation. It also states that for years already V&D didn’t have a clear direction. However, the curators still feel that the directors did what they could in the given circumstances so the end conclusion is: no liability. It makes you wonder who should have been responsible for the clear future direction and business innovation…
In what phase of your company’s lifecycle are you? Are you investing both in business and leadership innovation?