Intelligence. Influence. Resilience. – Turning Insight into Action

On 9 July 2026, senior leaders from business, government, defence and critical sectors gathered at the National Liberal Club in London for the latest ISRM Exclusive Breakfast Briefing.

Hosted by the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM) and the Defence and Security Circle, in partnership with The OSINT Group, the briefing explored a question becoming increasingly important for leaders operating in a complex and interconnected risk environment:

How do we turn intelligence into decisions, influence action before disruption occurs and build organisations capable of adapting when circumstances change?

Through expert contributions and facilitated roundtable discussions, the morning explored the relationship between Intelligence, Influence and Resilience – not as separate disciplines, but as interconnected leadership capabilities.

One message stood out:

Organisations do not fail because uncertainty exists. They struggle when intelligence fails to influence decisions, when leaders wait for certainty before acting and when resilience becomes a compliance exercise rather than a strategic capability.

Among the many perspectives shared throughout the morning, several themes emerged.

More information does not necessarily mean better decisions

Today’s organisations have access to more information than ever before. Yet the challenge is increasingly not obtaining information – it is recognising what matters.

Participants discussed geopolitical instability, artificial intelligence, cyber threats, misinformation, supply chain dependencies and accelerating global uncertainty. Across these issues, a common challenge emerged: separating meaningful signals from background noise.

The organisations that make better decisions will not necessarily be those with the most information. They will be those capable of asking better questions, recognising weak signals earlier and translating information into insight before emerging risks become organisational crises.

Intelligence only creates value when it influences action

Identifying a threat is not enough.

Intelligence becomes strategically valuable when it reaches the right decision-makers, in a form they understand, early enough to influence what happens next.

The discussions reinforced that technical expertise alone rarely changes executive decisions. Effective influence requires credibility, trust and the ability to communicate risk in the context of organisational priorities.

Influence is achieved when intelligence becomes relevant, trusted and actionable for decision-makers.

That capability becomes particularly important when leaders must make decisions without complete information or certainty.

Resilience must move beyond compliance

Another important theme was the distinction between being compliant and being resilient.

Compliance demonstrates that requirements have been met. Resilience is demonstrated when circumstances change and the organisation can still adapt, respond and continue to perform.

Participants reflected on where organisations may be relying on frameworks, processes and assurance when they should instead be strengthening adaptability, leadership judgement and organisational capability.

Resilience therefore cannot sit within one function or be delegated to a small group of specialists. It must increasingly be embedded across leadership, culture and decision-making.

What every leader should hear

At the conclusion of the roundtables, participants were asked to identify one insight every leader in the room should hear.

Several messages consistently emerged:

• Intelligence only creates value when it influences decisions.
• Organisations need to become better at identifying weak signals before they develop into strategic risks.
• Trust remains one of the most important foundations of leadership influence.
• Resilience cannot be delegated to a single function.
• Organisations need to become more adaptive, not simply more compliant.
• Collaboration across organisations, sectors and disciplines is becoming an increasingly important source of resilience.

Perhaps the bigger leadership question emerging from the morning was therefore not simply “What risks are coming?”

It was:

Do we have the intelligence to recognise change early, the influence to turn insight into action and the resilience to adapt when reality no longer matches our assumptions?

As risks become increasingly interconnected, these capabilities matter beyond individual organisations. Strengthening leadership, intelligence and collaboration contributes to the resilience of the UK’s critical institutions, economy and wider national interests.

The continued collaboration between ISRM, the Defence and Security Circle and The OSINT Group reflects a shared commitment to strengthening these capabilities through trusted dialogue, knowledge exchange and cross-sector leadership.