The future is better than you think.
Standing on stage at CoreNet Global's Summit in Amsterdam last week, I shared this message with 500+ corporate real estate leaders who are grappling with one of the most complex challenges of our time: designing workplaces for a world where talent and technology are converging in unprecedented ways.
But here's what became clear from our discussions: we're not just reshaping where we work—we're fundamentally reimagining why we gather, how we create, and what it means to be human in an exponential age.
Walking through Amsterdam during the summit, I was struck by something profound: this city has been solving the future of urban work for centuries. The canal houses weren't just homes—they were integrated live-work spaces where merchants, artisans, and families created economic and social value together. The other insight - we have always been working from home - whether from a canal house or on the farm.
The lesson: The future of work isn't about choosing between digital and physical, remote and office, individual and collective. It's about creating integrated environments that serve human flourishing at multiple levels.
Conscious talent isn't just about skills or experience. It's about workers who integrate seven key dimensions into their professional decisions: Future orientation, Health and wellbeing, Environmental consciousness, Data literacy, Technology fluency, Storytelling capability, and Provenance—the need to belong to organizations with authentic origin stories, clear purpose, and identities they can genuinely buy into.
This seventh dimension might be the most crucial. In an age of AI and automation, the human need for meaning, belonging, and authentic organizational identity becomes paramount.
As I think about my sons—Lucien (8 y-o) and Aurélien (3 y-o)—I wonder what their relationship with work will look like in the future and beyond. They're growing up in a world where "going to work" is no longer the default position. Instead, they'll likely think about work as something that flows between multiple contexts, purposes, and environments.
For me, work isn't just a place—it's a mindset that flows across contexts. Sometimes it's the Thinque Co-Working Space in Avalon Beach where I can think alongside other creators. Other times it's my cabin at Mackerel Beach where I write with the sound of water and birds. It's on a flight to London where I capture insights at 30,000 feet, on the Eurostar to Amsterdam where the changing landscape sparks new connections, in a cafe in Paris where the ambient energy feeds creativity, or in a green room before a conference where nervous energy transforms into presentation insights.
"Going to the office" is no longer the default position. The question isn't where we work—it's how we create conditions for our best thinking, deepest collaboration, and most meaningful contribution to flow wherever we are.
This is the world my sons are inheriting. Organizations that understand this shift will attract the conscious talent of 2035 and beyond.
From my research and conversations with global organizations, six megatrends are converging to reshape how we think about workplace design:
Gen AI-Native Cultures: Organizations where artificial intelligence is woven into the cultural DNA, amplifying human creativity rather than replacing it.
Analogue, Human Signal in Digital Noise: As digitization accelerates, authentic human connection and tactile experiences become premium assets.
Distributed Talent Hubs: Purpose-driven spaces that serve specific functions—innovation labs, deep work retreats, collaboration centers.
Purpose-Driven Twin Transformation: Simultaneously transforming business models and social impact as integrated competitive advantage.
Smart, Data-Driven Ecosystems: Buildings that learn, adapt, and optimize for human performance in real-time.
Biohacking Performance & Community: Workplaces designed around human biology, peak performance, and community building.
The most innovative corporate real estate leaders I met in Amsterdam aren't just thinking about square footage and lease terms. They're asking deeper questions:
Here's what became clear from dozens of conversations with global executives: The future belongs to organizations that understand where talent and technology converge.
This convergence isn't happening in abstract digital space—it's happening in carefully designed physical environments that amplify human potential while seamlessly integrating technological capability.
The winning formula: Spaces that combine cutting-edge technology with biophilic design, AI-powered personalization with opportunities for spontaneous human connection, global connectivity with local community building.
The "return to office" versus "remote work" debate misses the point entirely. Conscious talent isn't choosing between working from home or working from the office—they're choosing between employers who understand the future of human potential and those stuck in industrial-age thinking.
When I imagine Lucien and Aurélien's working lives, I see them seamlessly moving between virtual collaboration with global teams, deep focus sessions in nature-integrated spaces, hands-on creation in maker environments, and purpose-driven community building. Organizations that design for this fluid reality will attract the talent of 2035.
Whether you're a corporate real estate leader, organizational designer, or executive thinking about the future of your workforce, this moment requires fundamental strategic choices:
Will you design for the workers you had, or the conscious talent you need?
Will you create spaces that merely house work, or environments that unleash human potential?
The organizations that get this right won't just save money on real estate—they'll gain access to the best talent and build cultures that can adapt to whatever changes come next.
What's converging on my radar:
Your reflection: Where do talent and technology converge in your organization? What kinds of physical and digital workplaces are you creating to support conscious talent? How are you designing for the workers of 2035?
I'd love to hear from you: Hit reply and share your thoughts on the future of work. What environments bring out your best work? How do you see work evolving for the next generation?
Ready to redesign your organization's future? As a futurist, I help organizations navigate these shifts through keynote presentations, trend reports, branded content like podcasts and videos, and scenario planning sessions. Email me now to explore how we can design workplaces that attract conscious talent and unlock human potential.
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