Business Strategy

It’s an incredible time to be a leader. No two days are the same with new ideas and challenges coming at you all the time.    Each year, for the last ten years, we’ve spoken to over 1,300 CEOs from across various industries, countries and continents to better understand what drives them, how they are navigating challenges and their views on the greatest risks to growth, as part of our #CEOoutlook survey.    This year’s survey reveals that while confidence in the global economy remains high, it has waned – from 93 percent in 2015 to 72 percent today. Despite this, business leaders continue to show impressive resolve in steering their companies through this era of volatility and transformation. Their strategies and priorities offer a glimpse into the decade ahead.    From the economic and social shockwaves of the pandemic to surging inflation, geopolitical tensions and the rise of AI, leaders have had to adapt to several once-in-a-generation moments happening all at the same time.    The magnitude of these challenges has redefined leadership, requiring CEOs to be more resilient, agile and innovative than ever before.    For me, CEOs navigating the next decade will face four key things: a bold embrace of AI, a renewed commitment to ESG and sustainability as a source of value creation, a deep focus on their people, and an ability to balance competing stakeholder demands.    AI stands at the heart of the current CEO agenda and it’s part of every single conversation I have with our clients. This year’s findings show that 64 percent of CEOs are prioritizing investment in the technology.    However, this optimism is tempered by a sobering view of the immediate impacts. A significant majority (76 percent) of CEOs believe #AI will not fundamentally alter job numbers yet only 38 percent feel their employees are prepared and ready with the skills they need to fully reap the benefits. So, while AI has tremendous transformative potential, its success rests on aligning the rapid technological developments with workforce readiness and ethical considerations.    Another big feature from the last decade has been the rise of #ESG considerations, shifting from a peripheral concern to a central strategic pillar. Nearly a quarter of CEOs see failing to meet ESG targets as a significant competitive disadvantage. Despite the growing politicization of the issues, 76 percent are willing to make tough decisions, such as divesting profitable but reputation-damaging parts of their business to uphold their commitments.   The next decade will, without a doubt, produce its own storms. I believe that the CEOs who set bold strategies and invest in the right technologies to make these plans a reality, will be the ones who deliver sustainable growth for the long-term. https://lnkd.in/gDTiuGUV

Secret for Tax Person to Influencing the CFO: Speak in Cash Impact, Not Regulations! As tax professionals, we often get caught up in quoting sections, clauses, and legal jargon. But when you're talking to the CFO, remember - cash flow speaks louder than compliance. CFOs think in numbers that impact business decisions. Instead of presenting tax issues as a regulatory challenge, frame them as a financial impact. Instead of “Non-compliance with TDS can lead to disallowance under Section 40(a)(ia).” Say “Missing TDS can hit our P&L by ₹X crore in disallowed expenses, increasing our effective tax rate.” Instead of “GST input credit restrictions under Rule 36(4).” Say “We risk losing ₹Y lakh in ITC, directly increasing operational costs and impacting margins.” Instead of “Customs duty changes under the new FTP.” Say “The increased duty rate will raise our import costs by ₹Z crore, affecting pricing strategy.” When tax teams align their messaging with business objectives, they shift from being compliance enforcers to strategic advisors. A CFO wants to know: a. How does this affect cash flow? b. Will it impact profitability? c. Can we optimize our tax position? What’s your approach to engaging finance leaders? Share your thoughts below! #TaxStrategy #CFOInsights #BusinessImpact #TaxandFinance

📌 The 4 Layers of Data & BI Problems Most businesses approach data & BI problems by fixing symptoms instead of root causes. They have a problem-solving problem. They spend all their time fixing what’s visible without ever addressing what’s critical. → Dashboards break? They find a workaround. → KPIs are wrong? They update them on the go. → Reports load slowly? They try to optimize queries. But Business Intelligence problems live across four layers. You need to understand where problems really originate and how to solve them once and for all. 1️⃣ 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 These are the easiest to spot but the least impactful to solve in isolation: → Dashboards loading slowly → Incorrect KPIs → Data export errors Most teams mistakenly spend most of their time firefighting here. But fixing symptoms without addressing the root cause means these problems will resurface, again and again… 2️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 This is generally the technical debt accumulated over time. You have to dig deeper. If your reports and visualizations frequently break, the issue lies in structural layers like: → Data pipelines failing silently → Unreliable ETL processes → Poor semantic models causing frequent manual adjustments Until you invest in solid data engineering practices and build reliable pipelines, your BI layer will remain unstable. 3️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 Even with the best pipelines, your BI strategy will fail if the underlying business alignment is broken: ⤷ No standardized KPI definitions across teams (Finance defines “Revenue” differently from Sales). ⤷ Data silos block cross-department collaboration and create fragmented insights. ⤷ Critical systems aren’t integrated which leaves decision-makers blind to the full picture. This is where true data leadership comes in. Fixing this requires cross-functional alignment and establishing enterprise-wide data definitions. 4️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 At the deepest level, problems always boil down to: → Weak or non-existent data governance → Unclear ownership and accountability → Missing a "single source of truth" The hard truth is: You can’t fix a broken BI strategy with more dashboards. 1) Fixing only surface-level problems means symptoms will reoccur. 2) Structural and strategic layers demand clear communication and cross-team collaboration. 3) Core data problems require a robust data governance strategy Addressing the root issues will transform your BI strategy from constant firefighting to true strategic enablement. Which layer does your organization struggle with most? Let’s discuss below 👇 #BusinessIntelligence #DataStrategy #DataGovernance

90% of startups don’t fail because of: Bad marketing, a weak team, or even a poor product. They fail because they lack a repeatable decision-making process. Here’s the framework I use to make better, faster decisions in business. I call it “The Iteration Loop.” It’s a structured way to identify what’s working, what’s broken, and what to do next, without getting stuck in endless guesswork. It gives you a systematic way to eliminate bottlenecks, optimize execution, and scale with clarity. Here are the 6 phases: 1. Bottleneck Identification 2. Clarifying the Goal 3. Solution Brainstorming 4. Focused Execution 5. Performance Review 6. Iterate & Improve 1️⃣ Bottleneck Identification Before you can fix anything, you need to identify the real problem. Most entrepreneurs spin their wheels solving the wrong issues because they never dig deep enough. To get clarity, ask: + What's the biggest constraint stopping growth right now? + What metric, if doubled, would create the biggest impact? + What’s preventing us from getting there? If you don’t identify the root problem, every solution you apply will be wasted effort. 2️⃣ Clarifying the Goal Once you know the problem, define the exact outcome you’re solving for. I use a simple Three-Part Goal Formula: 1. What are we trying to achieve? 2. By when? 3. What constraints do we have? Vague goals lead to vague actions. Precision forces progress. 3️⃣ Solution Brainstorming Now, generate every possible solution—without filtering. Most people limit themselves to their existing knowledge, which is why they get stuck. Instead, ask: “If there were no rules, what would I do?” This opens up better, faster, and often simpler solutions you wouldn’t have otherwise considered. 4️⃣ Focused Execution Don’t test everything at once—test one variable at a time. Most teams waste months by making too many changes at once, leading to messy, inconclusive results. Instead, break it down: 1. Test one key assumption. 2. Measure one KPI that proves or disproves it. 3. Execute for a set period, then review. 4. Speed matters. Complexity kills momentum. 5️⃣ Performance Review Your data isn’t just numbers—it’s feedback on your decision-making process. Your job is to analyze: + Did the solution work? + Why or why not? + What does this tell us about our business? Every test refines your ability to make better future decisions. 6️⃣ Iterate & Improve Most companies don’t fail from making the wrong move—they fail from making no moves at all. The only way to win long-term is to keep iterating. Instead of fearing failure, build a culture that rewards learning. Failure + Reflection = Progress. If you aren’t improving your decision-making process, your business will eventually hit a ceiling. That’s why I built The Iteration Loop—so every problem becomes an opportunity for better, faster execution. P.S. If you want the scaling roadmap I used to scale 3 businesses to $100M and beyond, you can get it for free from the link in my profile.

Our work as an internal auditors is like an iceberg. Only a small portion is visible: The reports, the assurance services , the advisory outputs. But beneath the surface lies the real effort: * Managing resistance to change * Conducting deep risk assessments * Following up on complex findings * Working within tight timelines and limited resources * Performing data analysis and root-cause investigations * Addressing knowledge gaps across functions * Navigating ethical dilemmas * Balancing expectations while maintaining independence Internal audit isn't just about pointing out issues it's about: ○ Strengthening processes. ○ Enabling better decisions. ○ Supporting sustainable growth. The visible tip may be small, but the value beneath is what keeps organizations afloat.

The hidden hierarchy of global hotel brands. A battleground for sectoral competition between luxury, mid-range, segment, and economy hotels. Market positioning and segmentation in the hotel industry, as seen in the hotel brand pyramid, add sensational appeal to the sector while maintaining its sectoral depth. It provides a framework for the industry that highlights the competitive positions of hotel brands and the struggles between them... Hotel Brand Pyramid This is an academic and strategic model that allows hotel brands to be categorized according to market segments. This pyramid offers important analysis for the hotel industry in terms of brand valuation, pricing strategies, and guest expectations. Layers of the Pyramid Luxury and Economy Segments While ultra-luxury brands are located at the upper levels of the pyramid, economy and mid-range hotels are positioned at the lower levels. Upper Tier (Luxury and Ultra-Luxury) Brands like Aman Rosewood Park Hyatt are defined by personalized service, unique locations, and premium prices. High-End and Mid-Range Hotels like Hilton Marriott Hyatt stand out for their standardized luxury corporate guest experience and prices appropriate for a broad audience. Lower Tier (Economy and Budget) Brands like Ibis Holiday Inn Express Motel 6 have been shown to gain market share with affordable prices, basic amenities, and high occupancy rates. Market Strategy and Brand Positioning The location of hotel brands within the pyramid reflects the target customer base's decision regarding service levels and pricing. This reflects the fact that economy hotels maximize their revenue with high occupancy rates, while luxury hotels achieve greater profits with fewer rooms. Proof that brand extension allows hotel chains to reach broader audiences with brands at different levels of the pyramid The balance between corporate and individual guests also allows brands to create different strategies by focusing on business or leisure tourism. Future Trends and Evolution of the Pyramid Today, guest expectations focused on experience, sustainability, and digitalization are changing the dynamics of the pyramid. In particular, the luxury segment is moving toward more individualized and sustainable services. The mid-range segment offers a competitive advantage with more flexible pricing and loyalty programs. The economy segment seeks to reduce costs with service models supported by automation and artificial intelligence. Conclusion The Hotel Brand Pyramid is an important guideline in terms of strategic pricing, brand positioning, and customer expectations in the hotel industry. The balance between luxury and economy hotels is the most critical factor determining the sustainability of hotel brands in the market. From another perspective, this pyramid may also reflect a dynamic approach in the industry regarding issues such as brand positioning wars and future strategies. I hope you enjoy my review.

When ROI is used to compare strategic initiatives, strategy disappears. Some firms unintentionally kill their strategy by evaluating every initiative with the same metric—usually ROI. When ROI becomes the universal yardstick, strategy collapses into short-term financial sorting or into expensive failures based on hockey-stick projections. This is especially dangerous if CEOs are remunerated on the basis of EBIT targets or short-term stock options. As a board member and strategist, I recommend a different approach: assess initiatives along the Three Horizons. Three Horizon thinking is strategic because it forces leaders to do what strategy fundamentally requires: Allocate resources across different time horizons under uncertainty to optimize the current business and build the business of tomorrow. In other words: perform and transform. Horizon 1: Strengthen the core business These initiatives keep the company competitive today. Yes—ROI is appropriate here. Efficiency, margin, and cash flow matter. Horizon 2: Grow emerging businesses These initiatives build the next engines of growth. ROI is dangerous here because too many assumptions are required. The right question is: Does this strategic initiative meaningfully grow our emerging business? Horizon 3: Create options for the future These are investment into resources and capabilities that lead to potentially disproportionate competitive advantages. Early ROI calculations are meaningless. Instead ask: Does this strategic initiative create options we may need later? A real strategy allocates resources across all three horizons. In my experience, only Horizon 1 initiatives should be assessed by ROI. Horizons 2 and 3 require strategic judgment, not spreadsheet logic. Please repost if you agree. Comment if you disagree. Follow if you like more reframing. #strategy #leadership #transformation #VRIO #ROI #investments     Source of the Three Horizon model: Baghai, M., Coley, S., & White, D. (1999). The alchemy of growth: Practical insights for building the enduring enterprise. Perseus Publishing.

Hey founders! Chai par charcha time. ☕️ What if I told you that one of India’s most ambitious products failed because of its branding? Tata Nano, launched in 2008, was meant to revolutionize Indian transportation- a ₹1 lakh car, making four-wheelers accessible to every middle-class household. Noble vision, right? But its branding killed it. Tata positioned it as the "world’s cheapest car.” Now, who wants to own something labeled ‘cheap’? The narrative made people feel that buying a Nano was a compromise rather than an upgrade. The problem worsened when early models caught fire (literally!), reinforcing the low-quality perception. Lesson for founders: 📌 Price ≠ Positioning. ↳ Being budget-friendly is great, but branding should highlight value, not just affordability. 📌 Perception matters. ↳ Tata should have framed Nano as a "Smart City Car" or "Safer Than a Scooter" instead of making it about price alone. 📌 Correct the narrative. ↳ Once the "cheap car" label stuck, Tata didn’t actively reframe the story. One strong counter-campaign could have changed the game. Boss, ek galat positioning aur public perception kaafi hoti hai brand ko niche girane ke liye. If you're building a brand, focus on value, perception, and positioning- not just features and pricing. 🚀 p.s.: Do you know more examples of bad positioning? -------- Chai Par Charcha 👉 Small mistakes that can save your Brand image. For those who don’t know me- I’m a Brand Consultant & Strategist, working with startups & brands to build trust, positioning, and recall. Follow along to learn and grow together! #BrandBuilding #PositioningMatters #TrustMatters #ChaiParCharcha

Brian Tolkin is the Head of Product at Opendoor, and was one of the first 100 employees at Uber, where he created one of the first product ops teams in tech, and was instrumental in launching and scaling UberPool and all shared rides on the platform. In our conversation, Brian shares: 🔸 How to run great product reviews 🔸 How to make good decisions with limited data 🔸 How he uses the jobs-to-be-done framework at Opendoor 🔸 How to set up a thriving product and ops relationship 🔸 How to stay calm under pressure as a leader 🔸 Stories from his time at Uber 🔸 Challenges faced at Opendoor during the pandemic 🔸 Much more Listen now 👇 - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gkwnm7Aq - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gvavrc3U - Apple: https://lnkd.in/gn4MJSKZ Some key takeaways: 1. Product and ops can be a powerful combination, if they are set up well. Operations teams are typically great at implementing short-term, unscalable solutions quickly, iterating fast, and uncovering qualitative insights from direct experience with customers. Product teams are great at building tech that provides scalable solutions to well-understood problems. The key to leveraging the strengths of each team is to create tight feedback loops between them. Operations teams should feed insights to the product team that help them pick the highest-leverage opportunities for tech, and to execute on those opportunities based on a nuanced understanding of the customer. 2. To run effective product reviews: a. Set two primary goals for product reviews: accountability (informing stakeholders about progress) and improvement (enhancing the product). b. Create a constructive atmosphere: Foster a culture where product reviews are seen as collaborative rather than confrontational. Make sure that feedback is intended to improve, not criticize. c. Set context early: At the start of the review, outline the context and objectives clearly. d. Encourage open dialogue: As a leader, engage by probing, asking questions, and suggesting ideas in a non-imposing manner. Present suggestions as possibilities rather than directives. 3. You can be both “intense and chill.” Leaders can achieve this mix by creating an environment where challenging conversations about work are separated from personal interactions. Outside of work discussions, be friendly and show genuine interest in people’s lives. When it’s time to talk about work, make it clear you’re shifting gears to focus objectively on the task at hand. 4. When A/B testing isn’t practical due to low sample sizes, explore alternative methods to validate hypotheses: a. Talk to more customers b. Use observational data c. Implement diff-in-diff analysis d. Segment by geography e. Reduce confidence levels (e.g. 80% instead of 95%) f. Run long-term holdouts

Over the years, I’ve learned that the most valuable insights don’t just sit in reports—they emerge from conversations. Audits that truly drive impact don’t happen because we asked more questions; they happen because we asked better ones. That’s why my team and I dedicate time to engaging with stakeholders at every level. We’ve found that the most powerful questions: Challenge assumptions – Are we following this process because it works, or just because it’s always been done this way? (We recently found a control weakness buried under a “legacy” practice—one no one had questioned in years!) Reveal blind spots – What risks are hiding in plain sight? (One of our audits uncovered language barriers in employee surveys, leading to 72% of workers being unintentionally excluded from providing feedback!) Drive meaningful conversations – How can we turn compliance into a strategic advantage? (I’ve seen firsthand how shifting the conversation from “compliance burden” to business enabler opens doors for better governance.) This is why I see internal audit as more than just oversight—it’s a catalyst for innovation. This year, my focus has been on reinforcing our role as trusted business partners. Moving from checklists to collaborative discussions. Turning audits from a retrospective exercise into a forward-looking strategy. Ensuring our insights don’t just highlight risks—they drive value. And it all starts with asking the right questions. #InternalAudit #RiskManagement #Leadership #StrategicValue