CEOs Growth Agenda and the Laundry List 2023-24 by Niaz Malik

CEOs Growth Agenda and the Laundry List

The CEOs are in hot waters and you won’t believe why?

Any guesses?

My research and analysis based on reading analytical reports, leadership content, and business strategic goals of organizations indicate that here are the 5 big reasons for CEOs worry:

1-????Achieving more with less due to resource constraints

Leaders are facing increasing pressure on resources due to a variety of factors, including a tight labor market, economic uncertainty, and global supply chain disruption. Post-Covid, leaders are also dealing with challenges such as the Great Resignation, quiet quitting, and a slow-down in hiring. This has led to tighter budgets and stricter controls, making it more challenging to deliver on ambitious projects and initiatives.

2-????Directing attention and resources towards critical business priorities.

CEOs are increasingly concerned that their organizations are overwhelmed with too many competing projects and initiatives that require scarce resources. In response, there is a growing demand for more disciplined prioritization to focus on the most critical business needs and priorities. By clarifying these priorities, organizations can eliminate or slow down less important projects, freeing up resources to apply to key initiatives. This highlights the importance of balancing competing demands and making strategic choices, whether in business or politics.

3-????Bringing renewed focus and intensity to critical priorities and projects.

Leaders are emphasizing the need for a new level of intensity in focusing on critical strategies, projects, and initiatives. This involves aligning resources with key business priorities, creating momentum, and achieving tangible benefits quickly. It also requires less talking about obstacles and more focus on removing them, as well as greater speed, agility, collaboration, and innovation. The ultimate goal is for leaders to have greater confidence in executing ambitious plans.

4-????Focusing on Efficiency and Cost-cutting basics.

CEOs are focusing on efficiency and cost-cutting due to economic uncertainty and concerns about inflation and recession. To address this, some companies have launched initiatives to gather employee feedback on productivity and efficiency. However, the focus on productivity and costs may overlook the cost of misalignment, which can result from competing priorities and initiatives pulling people in different directions. Despite the focus on productivity and efficiency, many companies are still experiencing layoffs and revenue losses due to various factors such as the rise of the dollar.

5-????Hybrid working and the new normal

Many organizations are grappling with the transition to hybrid working as they seek to find a "new normal." This is driven by a range of factors including the ongoing impact of the pandemic, changing employee expectations, and the need for greater flexibility and agility in the workplace. As a result, companies are rethinking their policies and practices around remote work, office space, and technology to enable a more seamless and effective hybrid working model. A CEO has to consider numerous questions facing the organization when it comes to implementing hybrid working, such as its impact on culture, collaboration, and innovation. It is also essential to assess the long-term impact on teams, potential efficiency gains or losses, and the effectiveness of virtual working rules, among other factors.

6-????Future Culture

Leaders recognize the need for greater speed, agility, collaboration, and innovation in their organizations to tackle the challenges of an uncertain future. Organizational restructuring alone won't bring about the desired changes. Cultural change is also crucial, with a focus on transforming behaviors and interactions within teams. This shift from the traditional top-down approach presents a challenge for leaders of established organizations, who must balance the need for control in their core business with the need for agility in new areas. Their ideal scenario is to achieve agility without chaos.

Who is Niaz Malik:

Niaz Malik previously held the position of Deputy CEO of China Mobile in Asia, where he oversaw a customer base of over 40 million. However, at the age of 42, he suffered an accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Despite this setback, he now works as a motivational speaker, strategist, and influencer, helping organizations and individuals navigate through turbulent times, achieve growth, creation of adaptive leadership and foster innovation.