The CEO’s Guide to Growth in 2026

 

A Letter from the Editor

What’s At Stake

After months of being pushed into defensive strategies by trade dynamics and market turbulence, CEOs are renewing their focus on growth. We’ve found that mentions of top-line growth on earnings calls in the fourth quarter of 2025 rose nearly 12% globally from the same period in 2024—and up 24% among companies based in Europe.

Those ambitions may face headwinds from geopolitical tensions, slowing global growth, cost pressures, and uncertain (if not persistent) capital constraints. But the CEOs poised to excel this year aren’t waiting for clear skies. They’re moving to seize opportunity in the storm.

Growing in 2026 will require equal parts ambition and pragmatism. CEOs can get started by setting a bold target supported by a sound growth equation and preparing to pursue their ambitions programmatically. They can use AI to reduce costs, accelerate innovation, and build an always-on M&A capability. They’ll also need to instill a culture of cost discipline across the organization—dispelling notions that growth and resilience are at odds.

In a volatile world, resilience doesn’t just protect organizations against shocks. It positions them to carve a competitive advantage from disruption.

Unlocking Growth

A successful growth transformation is built on the same core elements as one focused on any other strategic objective. It requires data-driven planning, stress testing, smart sequencing, and persistence.

Here's how CEOs can get growing in 2026.

Set a bold target and optimize your growth equation. Growth doesn’t happen by accident, nor through an abundance of caution. It happens when CEOs mobilize their organizations around a bold, unambiguous target. Aiming for 10%, say, might sound ambitious, but the only way to guarantee not hitting this figure is aiming for less. That ambition must be grounded in a clear growth equation clarifying the path forward. Your equation should define how much growth will be driven by inorganic or organic expansion, stress test assumptions under different scenarios, and position the company to find advantage when conditions suddenly shift.

Finding the right equation is essential for driving deep, disciplined execution across the portfolio. AI is invaluable to this effort. In M&A, AI can uncover untapped or emerging opportunities to enter new markets, like the Global South, or acquire critical capabilities. On the organic side, it can help companies innovate new, differentiated products faster, more efficiently, and with a higher success rate. AI can also sharpen geographic strategy, identifying where the company can play to win and how best to deaverage investment decisions to back the right bets. Finally, it can unlock precision go-to-market moves, improving channel performance and making it easier to target customer segments with accuracy.

AI-powered scenario planning is a formidable tool for weighing strategic options, detecting early signals of change, and pivoting proactively as conditions shift. By stress-testing growth assumptions against a range of market and financial scenarios, leaders can zero in on the initiatives most likely to win in all weathers. Scenario planning also sharpens risk and cost management. When companies have clearer visibility into potential outcomes, they can proactively build buffers across supply chains, P&L, and inventory to guard against downside. They will move faster when opportunity strikes.

• Potential First Step: CEOs need to bring investors along on the growth journey, articulating a clear vision from day one to rapidly secure investor confidence. This early alignment eases pressure, giving management the support and space to make critical shifts in the business model. BCG analysis confirms it: companies that convincingly showcase their transformation’s value-creation potential within the first year dramatically boost their odds of success.

Pursue growth programmatically. Too often, companies view growth as a matter of inspiration rather than disciplined management. While ambition is essential, the most effective CEOs approach growth with the same rigor they apply to managing costs or capital deployment.

CEOs can establish clear parameters around growth initiatives—ensuring effective governance, transparency, and accountability. At the same time, they can structure a formal program designed to boost the top line, breaking it into discrete projects. Each project is rigorously managed, with realistic timelines, clear milestones, and defined plans for managing interdependencies. Successful leaders monitor progress in real time, adjusting strategies by leveraging a ready suite of back-up initiatives.

While this programmatic approach is essential, a mindset shift is equally important. Strong leaders challenge the belief that growth simply happens to them. Winning organizations deliberately structure programs to achieve growth.

• Potential First Step: Assign a chief transformation officer to drive the growth agenda. This may be a net new role or someone who can work closely with and support the existing chief growth officer. Create a visible, interactive digital dashboard that tracks and displays key growth metrics in real time to enable the CEO and transformation teams to quickly spot progress and address challenges immediately.

Harness AI to reduce the cost of growth. Growth through innovation has traditionally involved big tradeoffs: high costs, high failure rates, and long timelines. AI can help companies conquer these tradeoffs.

At a fundamental level, AI tools can reduce the cost of failure, driving faster and higher impact innovation. BCG research underscores the opportunity. AI leaders not only outpace companies that have not yet scaled the technology when it comes to revenue growth, but they also produce 3.5 times more patents. This suggests that AI accelerates innovation and expands its frontier, allowing companies to outpace peers in both the volume and quality of new ideas.

The key is to leverage AI to enable faster decision making, better market responsiveness,
and greater personalization. Companies can use AI, for example, to produce a relatively inexpensive product prototype and marketing campaign, improving speed to market and limiting the financial hit from setbacks.

• Potential First Step: With the right growth opportunities identified, CEOs can create cross-functional teams—composed of marketers, innovators, and other specialists—to execute their ambitions. These teams will be laser-focused on specific AI-driven growth initiatives, gaining share in a customer segment or a certain market, for example. Team members will have the tacit knowledge of what makes the company’s offerings distinctive and compelling and can ensure the right guardrails related to standards and quality are embedded into AI tools. Creating a common set of KPIs can further enhance alignment and speed.

Build an always-on M&A capability. CEOs are sharpening their focus on M&A as inflation, interest rates, and valuation expectations stabilize. After nearly two years of stagnation, deal activity is rising across sectors, and 2025 saw more megadeals—transactions over $10 billion—than the year before. The renewed momentum, however, will usher in an era of increased competition. After several quarters of holding the advantage in a buyers’ market, companies will face increased activity from private equity and corporate buyers that have built a war chest for deals. As of October of 2025, private equity firms alone were sitting on $2 trillion in undeployed capital.

In this environment, the most successful dealmakers will be those companies that have developed a standing M&A capability. BCG research consistently shows that serial acquirers outperform less-frequent dealmakers because they operate with an “always-on” mindset: persistently screening a broad funnel of potential targets, maintaining relationships, and being ready to move when opportunity strikes. Successful companies also ensure they have effective post-merger integration (PMI) capabilities to deliver a strong, agile and disciplined integration program. This readiness is what separates those who shape their industries from those who react to them.

Companies are using M&A to enter sectors related to the energy transition, defense, and data infrastructure, where incremental moves aren’t enough to stay relevant. Cost synergies remain critical to value creation, but the purpose of M&A is shifting toward capability building and competitive positioning. Effective CEOs understand that growth through acquisition must go hand in hand with disciplined integration, clear logic, and the willingness to walk away when deals don’t align with strategy.

• Potential First Step: CEOs, in partnership with corporate development leaders and business unit heads, should have their M&A target short list ready. And they should adopt an “always-on radar” approach that prepares them to go after not just their first, but also their second- and third-choice targets if the opportunity arises. Some of the best deals will be those within your core, close adjacencies, or regional strongholds where integration discipline can be maintained. (Large deals can also make sense, of course, but they must be based on a rock-solid value creation business case.) Monitor those companies closely—including trends in their business and potential leadership changes—to identify the right time to engage.

A Parting Thought

Too often, leaders focused on a growth agenda take their eye off efficiency and cost only to find that the new revenue they generate is dilutive in the face of ballooning expenses. Generating significant cost savings frees up critical funds for investments in topline growth. When those savings are invested in the right capabilities (AI, in particular) it can yield a virtuous cycle, driving additional efficiency gains that can power revenue growth.

To achieve this balance, leaders must build a culture of cost excellence. This means equipping teams with the right tools to identify and implement cost-saving initiatives, fostering accountability around efficiency and spending, aligning the organization around clear cost objectives, and establishing effective governance and tracking systems. With that foundation, CEOs can unlock cost savings to fuel their expanding growth ambitions.

https://tinyurl.com/yrycuavs

A Must-Read Guide To Igniting Account-Based Growth

 

The rapid adoption of account-based marketing (ABM) ranks as one of the most significant developments in B2B marketing of the past two decades. The popularity and use of ABM have been growing steadily since it was introduced by the Information Technology Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) in 2003.

Numerous studies have shown that ABM can deliver superior marketing results, and this track record of success has led a growing number of B2B companies to adopt an account-centered approach in other customer-facing business functions, such as business development, sales, and customer success/customer service.

It's easy to find ebooks, white papers, articles and blog posts that discuss this "account-based everything" model, but these materials aren't comprehensive. Therefore, they don't provide company leaders a sound road map for implementing an account-based everything strategy.

A new book by Bev Burgess and Tim Shercliff fills this critical need. Account-Based Growth:  Unlocking Sustainable Value Through Extraordinary Customer Focus (Kogan Page, 2022) provides a rigorous and comprehensive description of how to implement an account-centered growth strategy. Bev Burgess and Tim Shercliff are the co-founders of Inflexion Group, a UK-based consulting firm that helps clients implement account-based growth strategies.

Both authors have impressive professional credentials, but Bev Burgess can speak with particular authority on the topic of account-based strategies and programs. She served as a Senior Vice President of ITSMA and led its ABM practice for many years. In 2017, she co-authored A Practitioner's Guide to Account-Based Marketing, which was the first (and, in my view, the best) full-length book about ABM. 

What's In the Book

Account-Based Growth is structured in four parts.

Part One (Chapters 1-2)

In Chapter 1, Burgess and Shercliff state the business case for making account-based growth a key component of a company's overall growth strategy. That business case is largely reliant on the 80/20 rule, which holds that 80% of a company's revenue is generated by just 20% of its customers. The authors also explain that the 80/20 rule is fractal, which means that, in many cases, 3% or less of a company's customers will produce over half of its total revenue.

In Chapter 2, the authors describe how account-based growth programs are working in practice. This chapter is based primarily on a survey of 65 B2B organizations that Burgess and Shercliff conducted for the book.

Part Two (Chapters 3-6)

Part Two of Account Based Growth discusses four elements that are essential for an effective account-based growth strategy. These are:

• Account prioritization and revenue allocation (Chapter 3)
• Integrated account business planning (Chapter 4)
• Managing data, technology and operations (Chapter 5)
• Leadership, culture and change (Chapter 6)

Part Three (Chapters 7-10)

Part Three examines the roles that a company's customer-facing functions need to play in an effective account-based growth program. Chapter 7 discusses account management and sales, Chapter 8 covers account-based marketing, and Chapter 9 addresses customer success. In Chapter 10, Burgess and Shercliff discuss how a company's senior executives can more effective engage with their most important customers.

Part Four (Chapter 11)

Part Four contains an assessment tool that will enable readers to benchmark their company's position on the key criteria for a successful account-based growth strategy.

My Take

Account-Based Growth is an important book that should be required reading for any B2B business leader who has some responsibility for revenue growth. The book is well organized, and the authors include several interviews ("Viewpoints") and case studies that provide real-world insights about account-based growth in action. In addition, the authors' writing is clear, which makes the book easy to read, even thought it takes a rigorous approach to its subject.

Burgess and Shercliff contend that ". . . companies should take a more aligned view of how they manage, sell to, market to, provide customer success and deliver services to and leverage their executive relationships for their customers, particularly the three per cent or so that are driving half their profitable revenue." Then, the authors provide detained instructions for how companies can design and implement such an account-centered business strategy.

The essence of the strategy described in Account-Based Growth is to identify the "vital few" customers that produce most of your company's revenue and profit, and then design, fund and implement coordinated marketing, sales, customer success/customer service and executive engagement programs that are specifically tailored for these most valuable customers.

In a very real sense, therefore, the strategy advocated by Burgess and Shercliff is a customer experience management strategy that is focused on a company's most significant customers.

The adoption of this strategy will represent a major change for many B2B companies, and therefore it will present several significant challenges. For example, the first essential step in implementing the strategy is identifying which of your customers are contributing most of your company's revenue and profit.

In the survey conducted by Burgess and Shercliff, more than 90% of the respondents reported having a "top account" management program. When the survey participants were asked what criteria they use to select accounts for their program, 87% of the respondents said the future growth potential of the account, and 76% said the current revenue from the account. But only 45% of the respondents indicated that they track gross profit at the account level, and only 20% reported tracking net profit by account.

Having an accurate picture of customer profitability is critically important for an effective account-based growth strategy. As Burgess and Shercliff write, "Without this information, decisions about how much to invest in these top accounts and where to allocate resources are being made in the dark."

Getting an accurate picture of customer profitability is challenging for most companies because of flaws in the costing system that most companies use. It's possible to reduce the distortions created by these flaws, and because of the importance of this issue, I'll discuss the solution in a future post.

The challenges that come with the account-based growth strategy advanced by Bev Burgess and Tim Shercliff aren't insignificant. But that strategy can also be a powerful driver of profitable growth under the right conditions. If the 80/20 rule applies to your business, Account-Based Growth is a must read.

https://tinyurl.com/yc4vh7c9

BCG Matrix- How To Use, Insights and Free Templates

 

The BCG Matrix was initially sketched by Alan Zakon, a senior executive at BCG, and was later refined by Bruce Henderson, the founder of BCG, in his 1970 essay The Product Portfolio.

The BCG Matrix gained widespread use during the 1970s and was adopted by many Fortune 500 companies to manage diversification.

The BCG Matrix is still widely used today, although modern business dynamics have introduced new complexities that the traditional matrix did not fully account for​.

What is the BCG Matrix?

The BCG Matrix, also known as the Growth-Share Matrix, is a strategic framework developed by the Boston Consulting Group in 1970.

It helps firms evaluate their product portfolios by categorising products into four quadrants based on market growth rate and relative market share.

The matrix offers guidance on where firms should invest, divest, or maintain, and how they can best allocate resources across their product lines.

A Guide to the BCG Matrix

Market Growth

Traditional View:
The market growth rate refers to how attractive a market is in terms of expansion opportunities.

High-growth markets offer potential for revenue growth, while low-growth markets often represent maturity or saturation.

Traditionally, companies invested heavily in high-growth markets and maintained profitability with minimal investment in low-growth markets​.

Contemporary View:
In today’s business landscape, high-growth markets are more volatile and susceptible to disruption.

Rapid technological shifts and shorter product lifecycles often complicate long-term investment strategies.

For digital sectors, growth cycles are shorter, and companies must continuously adapt to remain competitive.

Key considerations:

• Volatility: High-growth markets are more vulnerable to economic fluctuations and technological advancements.
• Short product lifecycles: Digital products often experience faster saturation.
• Disruptive technologies: Technological innovations can rapidly change the market landscape​

Market Share

Traditional View:
Relative market share measures a product’s competitive strength compared to its largest rival.

Higher market share traditionally correlates with competitive advantages like economies of scale and increased profitability.

Products with low market share typically require substantial investment to become competitive​.

Contemporary View:
In today’s service-based and digital sectors, market share is not always the best measure of success.

For example, network effects, customer retention, and recurring revenue models often hold more importance than traditional market dominance.

Smaller, agile organisations can outcompete larger players by focusing on customer experience and innovation.

Key considerations:

• Network effects: In digital industries, user engagement and network growth often outweigh traditional market share.
• Scalability: Digital products can achieve rapid growth without high market share.
• Recurring revenue: Subscription business models focus on customer retention rather than market dominance​

The Four Sections of the BCG Matrix

BCG Matrix: Cash Cows (High Market Share, Low Growth)

Traditional View:
Cash Cows are products with high market share in low-growth or mature markets. These products generate reliable cash flow with minimal investment, as competition is limited. Firms often use profits from Cash Cows to fund investments in Stars or Question Marks​.

Contemporary Insights:
While Cash Cows continue to be valuable for maintaining financial stability, firms today also use them to drive innovation and diversify product offerings.

Markets evolve and so firms need to regularly reassess their relevance and explore incremental improvements or new customer segments.

Strategic Decisions:

• Maximise profitability: Focus on cost-efficiency to sustain cash flow.
• Invest in innovation: Use steady cash flow to fund innovation or enter adjacent markets.
• Diversify product lines: Extend product offerings to maintain customer interest​.

Example: Procter & Gamble’s Pampers brand generates significant cash flow, allowing the company to invest in developing new products​.

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BCG Matrix: Dogs (Low Market Share, Low Growth)

Traditional View:
Dogs are products with low market share and limited growth potential. These products often underperform financially, generating little to no profit. Traditionally, companies divested Dogs to redirect resources to more promising ventures​.

Financial Perspective:
From a financial standpoint, Dogs contribute minimally to revenue and may generate losses. Maintaining Dogs ties up capital and resources that could be better deployed elsewhere.

Companies that divest Dogs can improve profitability by reducing overhead costs and reallocating resources to higher-growth areas​.

Contemporary Insights:
Some Dogs can still offer strategic value, especially in niche markets. These products might provide customer insights, create synergies with other units, or generate steady, if modest, revenue. Firms should weigh up these benefits against the financial strain these products impose.

Strategic Decisions:

• Divest or exit: Most Dogs should be divested to free up resources for more promising products.
• Reposition for niche markets: Dogs may succeed in smaller, specialised markets with less competition.
• Reduce costs: Implement cost-cutting measures to minimise the financial burden​.

Example: Apple’s iPad is now considered a Dog, yet Apple continues to produce it for a loyal customer base​.

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BCG Matrix: Question Marks (Low Market Share, High Growth)

Traditional View:
Question Marks are products with low market share in high-growth markets. They require substantial investment to increase market share, with the potential to become Stars. However, if they fail to gain traction, they risk becoming Dogs​(Boston Consulting Group…).

Contemporary Insights:
In the digital economy, Question Marks face more risk due to rapid changes in consumer preferences and technology.

Firms can employ agile methodologies to test the viability of a product before fully committing resources which reduces the risk of over investing in the early stages of development.

Strategic Decisions:

• Invest selectively: Carefully assess potential before committing significant resources to growing market share.
• Test and iterate: Use agile approaches to validate market demand.
• Divest early: Exit the market if growth prospects are weak​(Understanding the BCG G…)​(Boston Consulting Group…).

Example: Apple TV remains a Question Mark, with Apple investing heavily in content while competing against dominant players like Netflix​(What Is the Growth Shar…).

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BCG Matrix: Stars (High Market Share, High Growth)

Traditional View:
Stars are products with high market share in high-growth markets. These products often require substantial investment to maintain their leadership positions but have the highest potential for growth. Stars are key drivers of future revenue and, as the market matures, often transition into Cash Cows​(Boston Consulting Group…).

Contemporary Insights:
In tech-driven markets, Stars face constant competition and shorter product life cycles. Companies must continuously innovate to maintain their market leadership. Agility and a deep understanding of consumer trends are essential to maintaining a Star’s status.

Strategic Decisions:

• Sustain high investment: Continue investing in growth to maintain leadership.
• Explore integration opportunities: Use vertical or horizontal integration to strengthen market position.
• Prepare for market maturation: Plan for the product’s transition into a Cash Cow as the market matures​.

Example: The iPhone remains Apple’s Star, commanding high market share and driving significant revenue, while Apple invests in R&D to maintain its competitive edge​.

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BCG Matrix Example

The BCG Model is based on products rather than services, however, it does apply to both. You could use this if reviewing a range of products, especially before starting to develop new products.

Looking at the British retailer, Marks & Spencer, they have a wide range of products and many different lines. We can identify every element of the BCG matrix across their ranges:

• Stars

Example: Lingerie. M&S was known as the place for ladies underwear at a time when choice was limited. In a multi-channel environment, M&S lingerie is still the UK’s market leader with high growth and high market share.

• Question Marks/Problem Child

Example: Food. For years M&S refused to consider food and today has over 400 Simply Food stores across the UK. Whilst not a major supermarket, M&S Simply Food has a following which demonstrates high growth and low market share.

• Cash Cows

Example: Classic range. Low growth and high market share, the M&S Classic range has strong supporters.

• Dogs

Example: Autograph range. A premium-priced range of men’s and women’s clothing, with low market share and low growth. Although placed in the dog category, the premium pricing means that it makes a financial contribution to the company.

Conclusion: Strategic Importance of the BCG Matrix

You can also apply the BCG model to areas other than your product strategy.

For example, I developed this matrix as an example of how a brand might evaluate its investment in various marketing channels.

The medium is different, but the strategy remains the same –  milk the cows, don’t waste money on the dogs, invest in the stars and give the question marks some experimental funds to see if they can become stars.

Whether you’re strategising for growth or assessing performance, these ready-to-use templates will help you visualise your company’s market position and make informed decisions.

https://tinyurl.com/bddffx3t

RoundMap® : Framework 1 System

 

A Unified Approach to Systemic Change: Building Future-Fit Organizations

For years, our pivotal question has been: ‘What if we could shatter the traditional barriers of silos that limit our collective potential?’ After seven years of rigorous research and introspection, we’ve forged a groundbreaking understanding. Our mission transcends merely dismantling silos; it’s about nurturing a collaborative ecosystem where stakeholders are empowered to co-create and invest in a mutually desired future. It’s a commitment to collectively envision, craft with precision, and passionately chase a unified vision. This method evolves our collaboration into a potent force, marching us toward a future we all yearn to shape.

Breaking Silos with Visionary Dialogue

Silos within organizations create barriers to communication and collaboration, often stifling innovation. These silos persist not just due to organizational structure but also due to the cultural comfort they offer to individuals. People cling to silos because they provide a sense of security, recognition, and community. However, enforcing change is rarely effective, as it doesn’t address the underlying emotional and cultural ties that bind people to these silos.

A more effective strategy is to offer individuals compelling reasons to venture beyond their siloed environments. This involves initiating an open dialogue about the organization’s future—a vision that is co-created by involving everyone in the system. Through this inclusive conversation, individuals can collectively imagine the future they desire and contribute to designing the journey towards it.

When people are part of crafting a future that promises greater fulfillment, excitement, and alignment with their passions, they become more open to re-evaluating their current allegiances. This openness is crucial for questioning their present values and behaviors. It creates a space for new cultural norms to emerge, facilitating the dismantling of outdated structures and the formation of new, more collaborative, and innovative ways of working.

By ensuring that the envisioned future is more appealing and rewarding than the present, organizations can inspire their people to embrace change willingly. In doing so, they not only break down silos but also foster a culture that is agile, interconnected, and primed for continuous innovation.

One System: Building Resilient Organizations

Navigating away from the limitations of siloed structures, we adopt the Future-Fit Organization approach, centered around four critical components integral to sculpting organizations poised for systemic success in the future. The first two are what we refer to as the twin vectors of ethical prosperity, and the final two are critical learnings taken from ‘Team of Teams’ and ‘One Mission’ to build truly responsive organizations (see the figure below): 

1. Equitable Distribution of Profit: This step involves ensuring that profits generated by the organization are distributed in a fair and just manner among all stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, suppliers, and the community. By prioritizing equity in profit distribution, organizations can foster trust, loyalty, and collaboration among stakeholders, breaking down silo barriers by aligning everyone’s interests towards a common goal.
2. Striving for Responsible Growth: This step emphasizes pursuing growth in a manner that is sustainable, ethical, and considerate of social and environmental impacts. Instead of prioritizing short-term gains at the expense of long-term sustainability, organizations commit to responsible growth practices that balance economic prosperity with social and environmental responsibility. This approach unifies siloed departments by fostering shared values and objectives while bolstering the organization’s reputation and resilience.
3. Sharing Collective Insights: By encouraging open communication channels and platforms for sharing ideas, data, and best practices, organizations enable employees at all levels to contribute their insights and expertise. This not only fosters a sense of belonging, empowerment, and ownership but also breaks down silos by promoting cross-functional collaboration and innovation based on a collective understanding of challenges and opportunities.
4. Empowering Action: This step focuses on empowering employees with the autonomy, resources, and support they need to take initiative and drive positive organizational change. By fostering a culture of empowerment and accountability, organizations enable employees to break free from silo mentalities and hierarchies, encouraging collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving across departments and teams. Empowered employees feel motivated to work towards common goals, leading to greater agility, resilience, and success for the organization.

By embracing these principles, we envision an organization that is not just surviving but thriving—one that is equipped to face the future with resilience, innovation, and a deep sense of purpose. This is the essence of the Systemic Future-Fit Organization approach, a roadmap to success in a world that demands we think and act not just for today but for the sustainable future we all share.

Systemic Future-Fit Organizations

Systemic Future-Fit Organizations (SFOs) are conceptualized as inherently designed for longevity and prosperity in a rapidly evolving business ecosystem. These organizations adhere to:

1. Forward-Thinking: These organizations are characterized by their proactive approach to envisioning and preparing for the future. They anticipate trends, challenges, and opportunities, positioning themselves ahead of the curve to shape the future rather than react to it.
2. Business Vitality: These organizations prioritize building enduring vitality—beyond mere fitness to thrive in the current environment. They focus on creating a resilient and dynamic foundation that supports long-term growth, adaptability, and innovation.
3. Systems Thinking: They deeply comprehend their operational environment’s intricate and dynamic interplay, recognizing that every decision can ripple across the entire system.
4. Adaptability: They are nimble, capable of weathering and embracing the winds of change, constantly evolving to meet the shifting tides of market demands and global challenges.
5. Sustainability: Their strategies are rooted in the pursuit of enduring success, prioritizing the well-being of the environment, society, and the economy for generations to come.
6. Collaboration: They practice inclusive engagement, valuing the contributions of all stakeholders and actively working to unite diverse perspectives and skills in a common quest for excellence.
7. Empowerment: Empowering individuals across the organization is central to their ethos. By distributing authority and decision-making, these organizations cultivate a culture of trust and accountability, enabling every member to contribute to their full potential and drive collective success.
8. Purpose and Impact: Guided by a visionary purpose, they drive towards creating significant and positive change, ensuring their actions resonate with profound and lasting effects.
9. Aligning Strengths: These organizations understand how to leverage their inherent strengths and the positive core underpinning their past successes, using it as a springboard for future innovations and growth.
10. Innovation: A perpetual quest for breakthroughs characterizes their ethos as they seek out and implement novel solutions that redefine what’s possible.

This refined definition emphasizes a holistic, integrated approach to business, sustainable, adaptable, and forward-thinking, resonating with RoundMap’s ethos of promoting transformative, collaborative, and innovative practices for a sustainable and prosperous future.

Achieving Operational Excellence

In the heart of RoundMap’s philosophy lies the bedrock of enduring success: the Four Pillars that underpin the operational excellence of future-fit organizations. These pillars are not mere guidelines but the strategic cornerstones that organizations must internalize to navigate the complexities of tomorrow’s business landscape. 

Each pillar represents a fundamental aspect of our Unified System Approach ─ bolstering business vitality, designing for impact, harmonizing strengths, and cultivating empowerment ─ fostering a robust foundation for sustainable and resilient growth. Together, they form a coherent blueprint for companies aspiring to adapt to change and lead it. 

We invite you to explore these pillars, detailed comprehensively on our website, as they are instrumental in steering organizations toward a prosperous, interconnected, and innovative future.

Fostering Responsible Growth

Why should organizations adopt sustainable leadership?

1. Addressing Global Challenges: Adopting sustainable leadership allows organizations to directly contribute to solving global challenges such as climate change, inequality, and resource depletion. By integrating sustainability into their core strategies, businesses can innovate to reduce environmental impact, enhance social equity, and drive economic growth without harm. This proactive approach addresses pressing global issues and positions organizations as leaders in sustainability, attracting support from consumers, investors, and employees who prioritize ethical and sustainable practices.
2. Stakeholder Expectations: Meeting stakeholder expectations is crucial in today’s context where individuals and investors alike seek organizations with firm ethical, environmental, and social commitments. Sustainable leadership signals a commitment to these values, making organizations more attractive to prospective employees who prioritize purpose in their work. This alignment with broader societal values not only helps in attracting talent but also in retaining employees who are motivated by meaningful work and a positive organizational impact on global challenges. It meets the rising demand for corporate responsibility and sustainability, enhancing the organization’s reputation and competitive edge.
3. Long-Term Viability: Adopting sustainable leadership enhances an organization’s long-term viability by ensuring its operations are environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable. This approach helps mitigate risks associated with sustainability challenges, such as regulatory changes, environmental disasters, and shifts in consumer preferences. By prioritizing long-term over short-term gains, organizations can adapt to market changes, innovate sustainably, and secure their future in a rapidly evolving global landscape, ensuring resilience and continued relevance in their industry.
4. Innovation and Competitive Advantage: Adopting sustainable leadership drives innovation and competitive advantage by encouraging organizations to develop new products, services, and processes that are both profitable and environmentally friendly. This approach fosters a culture of creativity focused on sustainability, attracting customers and partners interested in ethical and responsible business practices. It differentiates companies in the marketplace, making them more attractive to investors and consumers who prioritize sustainability, thereby securing a leading position in the transition towards a more sustainable economy.
5. Regulatory Compliance: Adopting sustainable leadership for regulatory compliance means aligning with current and anticipating future sustainability laws and standards, reducing legal risks, and avoiding fines. It positions organizations as industry leaders in compliance, enhancing their reputation and trust among stakeholders. This proactive stance can also lead to influencing policy developments, ensuring that the organization not only meets but shapes the standards of sustainable practices within its industry.

Embracing Equitable Profit Distribution

Organizations should consider an equitable distribution of profits among stakeholders for several reasons that resonate with sustainability, innovation, and whole-system thinking, akin to those espoused by RoundMap®. Here’s why equitable profit distribution is essential:

1. Sustainability: Equitable profit distribution aligns with sustainable business practices by ensuring that the organization’s success benefits not just its shareholders but all stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. This broader focus helps build a resilient business model that can sustain long-term growth and stability.

2. Stakeholder Engagement and Loyalty: Fairly sharing profits helps build stronger stakeholder relationships. It can mean better wages and benefits for employees, leading to increased engagement and productivity. For customers and suppliers, it can foster loyalty and long-term partnerships. Engaged stakeholders are more likely to support the organization through ups and downs, contributing to its resilience.

3. Social Responsibility: Businesses have a role in the broader social fabric. By distributing profits equitably, organizations reduce income inequality and support community development. This approach can enhance the organization’s reputation and brand image, aligning with consumers’ growing expectations for businesses to act responsibly.

4. Innovation and Continuous Improvement: When profits are reinvested into the organization for R&D, employee training, and other areas, it can spur innovation and continuous improvement. Equitable distribution can also mean allocating resources to initiatives that drive innovation rather than focusing solely on dividends and executive compensation.

5. Adaptability: An equitable approach to profit distribution can make organizations more adaptable. By ensuring that profits are used to bolster the organization’s foundation—through investment in technology, people, and processes—businesses can better navigate changes in the market and emerging challenges.

6. Brand Differentiation: In a competitive market, how a company treats its stakeholders can be a significant differentiator. Organizations known for fair and equitable profit-sharing can attract customers and talent who prioritize ethical considerations in their decisions.

7. Legal and Regulatory Compliance: In some regions, there are increasing legal and regulatory expectations for corporate social responsibility and equitable treatment of stakeholders. Proactively adopting equitable profit distribution practices can help organizations stay ahead of these requirements and avoid potential legal issues.

8. Collective Success: Ultimately, equitable profit distribution embodies the principle of collective success. It recognizes that the contributions of all stakeholders are vital to the organization’s achievements and seeks to reward them in a manner that reflects their value. This holistic approach to business success fosters a more cohesive, motivated, and committed stakeholder base.

By considering the equitable distribution of profits, organizations can align their operations with a model that promotes long-term success, stakeholder well-being, and a positive societal impact, resonating with the transformative and holistic principles advocated by RoundMap®.

Cultivating Customer Excellence

Why should organizations cultivate customer excellence?

Organizations should cultivate customer excellence for several compelling reasons, which align closely with the principles of sustainability, innovation, and whole-system thinking inherent in RoundMap’s vision. Here’s why focusing on customer excellence is crucial:

1. Enhanced Customer Loyalty: Customer excellence leads to higher satisfaction rates, fostering loyalty. Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, provide valuable feedback, and advocate for the brand through word-of-mouth. This loyalty is a sustainable source of revenue and organic growth.

2. Differentiation in Competitive Markets: Customer excellence can be a significant differentiator in crowded marketplaces. Organizations dedicated to understanding and meeting their customers’ needs can stand out from competitors, attracting more business and establishing a stronger market position.

3. Increased Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): By focusing on customer excellence, organizations can enhance the lifetime value of their customers. Satisfied customers are more likely to purchase additional products or services and less likely to switch to competitors, increasing the overall value they bring to the organization over time.

4. Improved Feedback and Innovation: Engaging with customers and striving for excellence provides valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. This feedback loop can drive innovation, helping organizations to adapt their offerings and develop new products or services that better meet customer demands.

5. Risk Mitigation: Excellent customer service can also mitigate risk. By effectively addressing complaints and turning negative experiences into positive ones, organizations can prevent escalations that might otherwise damage their reputation and financial health.

6. Employee Satisfaction and Engagement: Cultivating customer excellence often requires empowered, engaged employees who understand the value of the customer experience. This focus can improve employee satisfaction and engagement, as team members feel part of a purpose-driven effort to deliver outstanding service.

7. Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Customer excellence aligns with the broader goals of sustainability and social responsibility. Satisfied customers are likelier to engage with brands that demonstrate ethical practices, environmental stewardship, and community involvement, furthering the organization’s impact beyond its immediate customer base.

In summary, cultivating customer excellence is not just about improving transactions or solving immediate problems; it’s about building a sustainable, adaptive, and innovative organization that thrives by putting the customer at the center of its strategy. This approach aligns with RoundMap’s holistic, system-thinking philosophy, driving long-term success and differentiation in a competitive landscape.

The Biggest Challenge for Corporates

The biggest challenge of the corporate world is scaling for efficiency and maintaining the agility to innovate and adapt. Many corporations are initially designed for scale, leveraging efficiencies to drive down costs and capture market share. While effective for achieving rapid growth and competitive advantage, this strategy can become a double-edged sword, especially in rapidly changing markets. 

Here’s a deeper look into the issues associated with this scale-focused design:

1. Loss of Flexibility: As corporations scale, their processes and structures become more rigid. This rigidity can limit their ability to respond quickly to market changes, technological advancements, or shifts in consumer preferences. The focus on efficiency can inadvertently suppress creativity and innovation.

2. Innovation Paradox: Large corporations might find innovating within their existing operational frameworks challenging. The systems and processes that enable them to operate at scale can create barriers to exploring new ideas and approaches, leading to an innovation paradox where maintaining operational efficiency comes at the expense of adaptability and creative problem-solving.

3. Cultural Challenges: Scaling often leads to a more hierarchical and departmentalized organizational structure. This can dilute the entrepreneurial spirit and culture of collaboration that often drives effective solution development in smaller, more agile organizations. As a result, corporations might struggle to cultivate the internal dynamism needed for continuous innovation.

4. Overemphasis on Short-term Gains: A focus on scaling for efficiency frequently aligns with emphasizing short-term financial performance. This can divert attention and resources from investing in longer-term, potentially riskier initiatives that could drive sustainable growth and adaptability.

5. Market Disruption Vulnerability: Corporations optimized for efficiency are particularly vulnerable to disruption from more agile competitors who can introduce innovative solutions that better meet changing customer needs. These disruptors often prioritize effectiveness and customer value over operational efficiency, at least in their early stages.

6. Reversibility Challenge: As you’ve noted, the path to scaling for efficiency does not easily allow for a return to a more flexible, innovative posture without significant restructuring. Transforming a highly efficient operation into one that prioritizes adaptability and effectiveness requires a fundamental shift in corporate strategy, culture, and processes.

Addressing these challenges requires a balanced approach, as encapsulated in RoundMap’s principles of fostering business vitality, designing for impact, harmonizing strengths, and cultivating empowerment. Corporations must design systems and cultures that maintain operational efficiencies while enabling flexibility, encouraging innovation, and staying responsive to the evolving needs of customers and markets. 

This might involve adopting more fluid organizational structures, investing in continuous learning and development, and fostering a culture that values experimentation and accepts failure as part of the innovation process. By doing so, corporations can strive to navigate the complexities of scaling for efficiency without sacrificing their ability to create effective, adaptive solutions.

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