Leading in the GALA

Sobering, eh? This excerpt is part of a longer scenario produced by my favorite generative AI engine after offering it my assumptions on current macroeconomic shifts. Whether you believe the narrative or not, it’s easy to see that the world as we know it is transforming at an exponential rate.

Every year, our Directors and Executive Teams journey through a strategic planning process that begins with a look at the world’s landscape and the areas that most impact our business and our team. This year offered quite a collection of topics. From tariffs to wars, the cost of living to talent shortages... we faced the difficult task of making sense of this chaos and setting strategic priorities for Gorbel. With so many variables to consider, we forced our brains to zoom out and try to see the forest from the trees. We looked out to 2035, bathed in the expected possibilities, and then talked about how we will start bridging the gap.

Through conversation and brainstorming, the acronym “GALA” emerged. GALA captures the most critical areas of influence that we believe will create opportunities and threats to our business. Let's take a closer look at each area of influence that comprises GALA.

Geopolitical – It seems tariffs and isolationism are here to stay for the foreseeable future. In 2025, we navigated dozens of tariffs that directly affected our business. We are also observing a tidal wave of changes to supply chains. And the heat is rising between friends and foes on the global stage as the USA and China seem more on economic and military collision courses than ever before. Takeaway? Expect tariffs, reshoring, and inflationary impacts in the supply chain as a new order is established.

Automation – Robots are here. They are no longer reserved for the most tech-forward, wealthy companies to deploy. Billions of dollars are leaving the sidelines and being invested in robots that will help you and me with daily tasks. The absence of robots or automation will soon seem like something is missing. Takeaway? Take an inclusive approach with all employees to learn and educate about automation possibilities. Then work together to lean into automation adoption where warranted.

Labor Shortage – While the labor market in the USA has never employed more people than today, there remains a key shortage of talent in countless trades and services. While not the only factor, immigration policy is reducing the pool of people to do the breadth of work needed in our economy. Takeaway? Traditional attraction and retention tactics will not suffice; nor can we assume today’s job roles are what we need to succeed in the future. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Do you remember when $1 billion was a lot of money? The AI industry has redefined what big investment looks like. Elon Musk describes AI as a ”supersonic tsunami.” Pause and picture that. When you add up invested and committed dollars that are being deployed in AI data centers alone, the number is roughly $2 trillion (note that the size of the entire USA economy measured in GDP is ~$30 trillion). This precludes the energy investments needed and all the services and implementation spending that Gorbel and companies like it will experience. Never, ever before has the world seen such a massive and rapid movement. Takeaway? Shift from AI exploration to an AI-forward organization, stat!

At the end of our strategic planning process, it was clear to us that success for Gorbel will be determined by how well we seize opportunity, meet challenges, and navigate uncertainty in this time of rapid change that is defined by GALA.

It is not always easy thinking about the future, but we must step towards 2035 and away from the storm of social-media-fueled, midday headlines. Hopefully, this blog can offer you a peek under the Gorbel® hood and a different narrative about how technology might impact our world. While I certainly don't have all the answers, I do work with an incredible team that is restless and never, ever complacent. That is a gift — and so is the future!