The approach to innovation (the how) sometimes affects outcome & impact to a greater extent than the innovation itself (the what). Thought For Food, a global food and agri-tech innovation non-profit, focuses on embracing six key attitudes often found in next-generation leaders to unlock potential game-changing ideas and create inclusive and resilient food systems:

1. Openness: Embracing new experiences and diverse ideas and connecting seemingly unexpected dots to create new ideas and breakthroughs.

2. Collaboration: Willingness to dive into the possibilities of digital technologies and believe that anyone can collaborate on anything, anywhere, at any time.

3. Beginner’s Mindset (Curiosity): Holding on to playfulness and intrinsic curiosity.

4. Entrepreneurial Methods: Seeing opportunities in every challenge — in today’s world, it has never been cheaper or easier to take a risk in pursuit of a beneficial breakthrough.

5. Shared Purpose: Building emotional intelligence and resilience to unite among a cause.

6. Nurturing Communities: Emphasizing that relationships drive forward everything that we do — our support system revives and propels us forward during the hardest times.

This Dialogue aims to bring together next-generation representatives from the public and private sectors together, alongside those from civil society organizations, to deep-dive into each of these attitudes facilitating game-changing innovation and to further iterate on the critical role of next-generation leadership in food systems transformation.

Following the UN Food Systems Summit Pre-Summit in July and an initial Independent Dialogue in May between the European branch of Thought For Food and FoodDrinkEurope, an association representing the EU food and drink industry, this Dialogue further iterates on the critical role of next-generation leadership in food systems transformation.

Discussion questions

• How does championing this attitude lead to innovation?
• What potential impact can the widespread practice of this attitude unlock?
• What are the limitations of enacting this attitude for our food systems — where does the approach not work?
• How can we increase awareness of this attitude?
• How can leaders in the UN FSS and beyond embrace this attitude to transform our food systems?