Sam Rad has always enjoyed the thrills of flight. But when her third tandem skydiving experience went awry, she saw her life flash before her eyes.
After being in the wrong position in the plane, Sam soon found herself flailing through the sky in an uncontrolled fall. When she pulled the cord on her parachute, it tangled around her. This is it, she thought. Somehow, Sam managed to untangle the parachute and open it, landing safely on the ground.
After this harrowing experience, Sam went on to skydive competitively for several years. But that fateful day taught her an important lesson about leadership: Sometimes, you have to do the opposite of what feels natural. You have to be fully present in the moment and adaptable — exactly what Sam says are the keys to leading and thriving in the future.
Today, Sam is a futurist and successful technology entrepreneur who guides organizations and individuals to thrive in times of radical and accelerating change.
During her keynote speech at the 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Conference, Sam shared three lessons for leaders to thrive in a changing world.
1. Recognize paradigm shifts.
Henry Ford is known for inventing the Model T, a groundbreaking automobile that revolutionized personal transportation. He once said that if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. To be effective in the future and during times of radical change, Sam says nonprofit leaders must think like Henry Ford. Leaders must shift their mindsets not only to see what’s there but also to see what could be.
As Sam says, “We don’t need better answers. We need better questions.”
2. Adapt to changing contexts.
Sam learned during her skydiving emergency that she needed to relax, not resist. What works during a fall on the ground is the opposite of what works while skydiving. Likewise, leaders of the future must be willing to learn to unlearn and become pattern breakers — seeing things through a new lens and doing things outside of their comfort zone. You can practice breaking patterns by simply taking a different route to work or the grocery store, talking to someone new, or learning a different language.
3. Celebrate humanity.
Although Sam is considered a pioneer in artificial intelligence and immersive reality and has even cloned herself in the digital world, she says, “It’s people — not technologies — that change the future for the better.” Leaders of tomorrow will both embody and seek the skillsets that make us all innately human. Leadership in the Age of Acceleration is all about being on Team Human.
Don’t Miss the Next Nonprofit Leadership Conference
The Nonprofit Leadership Conference is the premier gathering for nonprofit professionals and community leaders who are called to be the change that changes everything. Hosted annually by the Nonprofit Leadership Center in Downtown Tampa, nearly 1,000 leaders unite to learn, lead and lift up our communities together. Learn more about this transformative event. 2026 dates will be announced later this year.
