Insights

Companies are facing an unprecedented situation in which every power structure in the Western world is shifting. Supply chain complexities and disruptions to interacting with clients, consumer hesitancy, health provider concerns and continuing volatility in a shifting marketplace is leaving our clients confused. Uncertainty is the only guarantee going forward until a new business paradigm begins to form.

But what most are missing is the opportunity to build the new business paradigm in our own image; meaning, those with the courage and vision to build in new ways going forward will lead. This role is not for every company or CEO. This is only for companies that want to be leaders. Small business has a big opportunity in this environment to get big and big companies have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the gold standard for how future business is done.

There are some of the trends we have identified moving forward.

1. No longer will the "quick buck rule” reign. No longer will so much be held by so few. Corporate responsibility will have more of a light shone on it. Consumers will expect better. Learning how to partner with organisations that give back, or setting up an internal give-back structure will be the way forward for especially large corporations.

2. As a A New Era In Work, digital technology will continue to flourish and become more accessible for emerging nations and with this digital future, an enabled on-demand, independent workforce will emerge. Businesses and CEOs will need to understand how to engage with and attract this workforce and make a work regimen that suits their mobility and flexibility.

3. You’ve probably seen the buzz words: agility, flexibility, social and ecological consciousness but what do they mean on the ground? The ability of a business to adapt to and see emerging trends is paramount to its survival. Companies and organisations will have to research and embrace new ways of working, and those that do not adapt to the new consumer mindset and concerns will simply not be viable.

4. With the media filled with gloom and doom, the biggest stories of the decade are being missed. Innovation and development has 100x especially in the past 3 years, and the technologies in every industry are going to blow people’s minds. The tech is out there and you need help to find the right solutions to dazzle your customers and put you at the forefront of your industry.

5. Trust drives success. Five global companies have recently named a new kind of “CTO”—a Chief Trust Officer. Many expect that number to grow to 20 in 2022. Winning and keeping the trust of your customers and your team has to be the top priority for all leaders in 2022. Given the upheavals and pain caused by the pandemic and growing political divide, company executives are being challenged to earn the trust of all their stakeholders. Without trust, technology companies will lose customers and talent, and they won’t be able to attract new talent. 

How are you building trust in your business? How are you utilizing the opportunities in the "uncertainty age" driven by values and sharing?