Krzysztof Daniel

Krzysztof Daniel (DXC) is a strategy consultant and transformation advisor with a background in analytics, systems thinking, and leadership development. He helps organizations in high-pressure environments navigate complexity by clarifying their strategic position — and guiding their leadership through the real-world consequences of seeing too clearly.

Beyond the Map: Leading When the Terrain is Clear but the People Aren’t

Wardley Mapping reveals the landscape. But clarity doesn’t automatically lead to change. In fact, it often invites resistance, fear, and organizational friction.

This talk picks up where Simon Wardley’s work leaves off: at the moment when the system is visible, but leadership becomes hard. Based on years of working with organizations undergoing strategic and cultural transformation, I’ll share how mapping is a powerful enabler — but also a humbling experience.

You’ll hear stories of leaders who misread maps as certainty, mistook alignment for buy-in, or failed to see the emotional dynamics behind technological inertia. And you’ll learn what it means to lead beyond the map: how to navigate politics, doubts, legacy systems (human and technical), and how to grow yourself into someone who can carry the weight of visible truth.

This talk is not a critique of mapping — it’s a tribute to it. But more importantly, it’s a call to those who want to become more than excellent mappers: to become transformational leaders.

Key Points

1. Mapping exposes the system — and your own blind spots.
2. Strategy is not just clarity, but the courage to act through resistance.
3. Why emotional literacy, timing, and trust-building are essential tools post-mapping.
4. Practical techniques to deal with friction, fear, and inertia once the map is known.

Why This Talk?

Simon’s talk will inspire. This one will ground. You will walk away not just with admiration for mapping, but with a deeper understanding of the inner and outer leadership work required to put it into action.

Workshop—Mapping Your Strategic Response to AI

AI is not just a technological shift. What began as a narrow innovation has rapidly expanded, reshaping the software market and touching every corner of IT expertise. Today, all professionals in technology feel its impact. Yet the speed of change creates both hype and anxiety—how do we respond when the world seems to be moving faster than we can keep up?

This workshop offers a practical way forward using Wardley Mapping. Together, we’ll cut through the noise, reduce uncertainty, and design clear, actionable strategies for navigating AI disruption. Building on your existing knowledge of mapping, you’ll engage in hands-on exercises to explore AI across three contexts: vendors, software houses, and adopting industries.

Working alongside peers and industry experts, you’ll learn to spot where real value lies, uncover risks and opportunities, and shape responses that go beyond short-term reaction. By the end, you’ll leave with a concrete framework to transform disruption into a strategic advantage.