Jaroslav has co-founded and manages RQ Genesis, a UK-based boutique consultancy firm helping leaders build future resilience and create sustainable value in a rapidly changing world. For over 10 years, he’s been a senior associate with a boutique leadership consultancy Future Considerations and has been involved in one of the largest culture change programmes in history touching  200,000 people worldwide. Since 2016, Jaroslav works closely with Salim Ismail to build OpenExO, a global movement of entrepreneurs, consultants and thought leaders helping society adapt to the rapid pace of technological and business disruption.

Jaroslav is a Singularity University Alumni and during his career has lived and worked in UK, US, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and the Czech Republic and traveled to more than 50 countries.

INTERVIEW WITH OUR SPEAKERS AROUND VIRTUAL EVENTS AND COVID-19

How comfortable do you feel speaking at virtual events? What do you enjoy about it and what are the challenges?

I have been designing and delivering fully virtual programmes and talks for the past 5 years. I enjoy the instant connection with people all around the world, the directness and flexibility of the format and its efficiency for all involved. I do not see any significant challenges, when the flow is well designed it can lead to comparable impact, intimacy and learning for participants to that of in-person events at a fraction of the costs. Additionally, it is easier to maintain engagement over time which is a traditional problem with in-person workshops and programmes

How has the pandemic affected your work? Has this pandemic caused you to update your content and approach significantly? 

As I have been working in this format for many years, it didn’t lead to many changes but somehow my virtual work became more understandable and appreciated by a wider audience. The swiftness and disruptive nature of what we have been through has made everyone to understand better the nature of exponential curves and also, people and organizations seem to be  radically more open to innovation, learning and change

What do you think will be the positives and negatives of your work post-COVID-19?

Positives – ability to reach many more people at scale and find global audiences more easily via the virtual format which is now more widely accepted. Negatives – higher need to spend time in nature and away from screens as well as the need to engage often in physical exercise and the ability to consciously prioritize the ‘offline’ world.