The Global Business Context: A Davos CEO Panel

Here are key themes from the Davos panel about the strategic, organizational and operational issues that are reshaping how businesses operate worldwide. The CEOs on the panel included:
• John T. Chambers, Cisco
• Thomas Enders, Airbus
• Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa
• Duncan Niederauer, NYSE Euronext
• Ferit F. Sahenk, Dogus Group
• Patricia A. Woertz, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)
• Hans-Paul Bürkner, The Boston Consulting Group

Themes:

• 24/7 mindset is yesterday. The volatility and velocity of change requires a 25/8 mindset.
• We are going through rapid market transition, economic transition, and technological transition… the big question for organizations: how do we reinvent ourselves? Unless you can reinvent, you will have your “Kodak Moment” and die.
• Deleveraging is here to stay. Together with higher capital requirement this chokes credit and makes for a tough environment for small and medium businesses.
• You must build flexible organization with dynamic human capital.
• We all want to live better and do better.
• Think One World.
• Think collective wisdom.
• We are all watched in real time.
• A quarter of global aircraft orders is for china.
• Maintain a bifocal focus on short and long term. Be realistic about what is possible in the short term. But for the long term strategy you must plan for growth with two billion people entering global market and aspiring for urban life style. You cannot entrench and grow. Manage the short term with the long term in mind. Work on the long term by capitalizing on opportunities here and now. You must earn the right to grow.
• The potential for upside breakout is in better collaboration between government and the private sector.
• Most successful needs to give back most.
• Execution is leadership.
• The only sustainable competitive advantage is your people and having the brightest talent.