Nature has spent billions of years perfecting strategy, and those lessons can help leaders think more clearly about innovation. Rich Horwath sits down with Ines Garcia, author of Nature’s Blueprint for Business, in this episode of Strategic Minds Podcast to explore how ecosystem principles can strengthen the way organizations work and grow.

She shows why leaders must stay attuned and responsive to their environment, just as ecosystems do when they face tension and change. Ideas like ecotones and “bending without breaking” highlight how the space between teams can spark the most innovation.

Listeners gain a new lens for strategy and instead of adding complexity, tap into natural patterns that have been refined over billions of years. The result is smarter innovation, stronger collaboration, and environments where people and ideas can truly flourish.

🔑 Key Quotes:

“Biomimicry is, Jenin-Bernion says, innovation inspired by nature.”

“The opportunity for where things meet is an opportunity, a space to create, to collect materials and exchange nutrients.”

“We often use value stream mapping to look at within the organizational boundaries, ideally across your value chain, how can you reduce waste of time, right?”

“If after an injury or stress, then have the ability to learn from that into what you’re becoming rather than going back. Even staying still is going backwards.”

“I think that we should quiet our cleverness and observe the natural patterns that govern us.”

“I would encourage leaders to breathe in and look outside.”

“We are in this time of moving from competitive advantage to collaborative advantage.”

“Ninety percent of the materials that we use in our products are wasted. Imagine if you keep them within your value chain or don’t even put them there to start. What a savings of energy, transport, effort, materials cost.”

🏆 Winsight:

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Nature has made up her mind that what cannot defend itself shall not be defended.” It’s a powerful reminder for leaders: advantage isn’t something we claim, it's something we build. Organizations thrive when they invest in capabilities that genuinely strengthen their position.

As you assess your business, ask whether you’re developing the skills, knowledge, and systems that create a defensible moat. Are you sharpening differentiation or simply maintaining activity? Strategic advantage requires intention, not inertia.

If we’re not actively creating the capabilities that separate us from the competition, we limit our ability to shape the position we want in the market. The question for leaders becomes simple: Are we building what we need to defend, and deserve, our future advantage?

🔗 Links:

Connect with Ines Garcia:

Ines Garcia's website

Nature’s Blueprint for Business (Book)

Ines Garcia on LinkedIn

🌐 Strategic Thinking Institute Website 👤 Rich Horwath on LinkedIn 🎥 Rich Horwath on YouTube 🐦 Rich Horwath on X 📸 Rich Horwath on Instagram 📘 STRATEGIC Book 🧠 Strategic Fitness System 📬 Free Strategic Thinker Newsletter 🧪 Strategic Quotient (SQ) Assessment 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify

In this episode of Strategic Minds Podcast, Rich sits down with Derin McMains to explore how elite athletes develop clarity, resilience, and composure—and how business leaders can do the same. Drawing from his career in professional baseball and mental performance coaching across major sports, Derin breaks down the “mental game”: the crucial seconds between moments where decisions are shaped.

He shares practical tools leaders can use to shift from emotion-driven reactions to process-driven responses, manage confidence, and prepare with greater intention. The discussion shows how the principles that help athletes perform under pressure can empower executives to show up as the version their team needs most.

“I define the mental game as the game you play between moments.”

“Emotions are great informants and terrible dictators.”

“The scoreboard doesn’t care how you feel. Fans don’t care how you feel. When I focus on confidence and feelings, I’m not focused on the task at hand.”

“Let’s start with identity. How I see myself determines how I see the world.”

“With every goal, it always starts with what problem you’re really trying to solve.”

Jack Welch once warned that when the rate of change inside a company lags the rate of change outside it, the end is already in motion. Reed Hastings echoes the same truth: organizations rarely die from moving too fast—they die from moving too slow. Together, their message is unmistakable.

Leaders must cultivate a constant urgency around getting better. Value creation isn’t static, and neither is the environment we compete in. The moment we stop evolving, we start falling behind.

Set aside time regularly with your team to look beyond the present and define the future state of the business. Where are you going, and what must change to get there? Strategic progress begins with intentional forward focus.

Connect with Derin McMains:

LinkedIn: Derin McMains on LinkedIn

Podcasts: No Show Dogs & The Way 2 Play Free

Instagram: @dmac_mindset

X: @McMainsDmac

🌐 Strategic Thinking Institute Website 👤 Rich Horwath on LinkedIn 🎥 Rich Horwath on YouTube 🐦 Rich Horwath on X 📸 Rich Horwath on Instagram 📘 STRATEGIC Book 🧠 Strategic Fitness System 📬 Free Strategic Thinker Newsletter 🧪 Strategic Quotient (SQ) Assessment 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Listen on Spotify