WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.420 --> 00:00:05.640 (upbeat music) Recently I asked a successful CEO 2 00:00:05.640 --> 00:00:08.580 about the outlook for the next six months, 3 00:00:08.580 --> 00:00:10.713 and I got a very honest answer. 4 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:13.327 Their response was, 5 00:00:13.327 --> 00:00:17.010 "I'm not quite sure given the big forces at play." 6 00:00:17.010 --> 00:00:19.750 In fact, I've never heard so many executives 7 00:00:19.750 --> 00:00:23.190 voice uncertainty when they talk about their agenda. 8 00:00:23.190 --> 00:00:25.200 The old playbooks are no longer sufficient 9 00:00:25.200 --> 00:00:28.747 given the volatility, and leaders are asking themselves, 10 00:00:28.747 --> 00:00:30.239 "What's different?" 11 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:33.489 (inspirational music) 12 00:00:37.158 --> 00:00:40.020 One executive told us, "We want to use this opportunity 13 00:00:40.020 --> 00:00:43.830 to leapfrog and create a new benchmark in our sector." 14 00:00:43.830 --> 00:00:47.220 According to our research, 75% of companies 15 00:00:47.220 --> 00:00:49.590 want to use this opportunity of uncertainty 16 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:51.750 to create growth opportunities. 17 00:00:51.750 --> 00:00:54.180 Yet when we look at the historical data, 18 00:00:54.180 --> 00:00:58.950 only 14% of companies manage to create both top-line growth 19 00:00:58.950 --> 00:01:01.470 and margin growth in a downturn. 20 00:01:01.470 --> 00:01:04.020 It's a real CEO dilemma, and it's down to 21 00:01:04.020 --> 00:01:06.393 the resilience muscle in the organization. 22 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:13.890 The very best leaders, they manage the short-term risk. 23 00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:16.740 They optimize their cost and cash positions 24 00:01:16.740 --> 00:01:20.250 to generate investment headroom, and at the same time 25 00:01:20.250 --> 00:01:23.790 they courageously go after top-line growth opportunities 26 00:01:23.790 --> 00:01:26.100 and there's no trade off between the two. 27 00:01:26.100 --> 00:01:30.180 Technology, including AI and data, is an important lens 28 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:33.460 to apply and it's much more than an enabler. 29 00:01:36.570 --> 00:01:38.700 We need new leadership skills and we need 30 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:40.530 more diverse teams. 31 00:01:40.530 --> 00:01:43.830 My advice to leaders: bring strategic clarity 32 00:01:43.830 --> 00:01:47.070 to the entire organization, increased clock speed 33 00:01:47.070 --> 00:01:50.460 in decision making, and finally, make sure you have 34 00:01:50.460 --> 00:01:53.100 execution capacity in your organization. 35 00:01:53.100 --> 00:01:55.113 This is a massive change journey.