For even the most significant business challenges, people are the solution. If you have the right people in the right places and synchronized to your strategy, you will always compete.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Across every geography and sector, we see organizations facing a similar challenge when it comes to digital transformation. Companies are making meaningful investments and commitments to “going digital”, but they still feel like they’re struggling. Despite the fact that 96% of organizations see digital transformation as critical or important, 75% of them are “not very confident” in their ability to execute a digital transformation – and 84% of executives believe that their organizations do not have the skills and capabilities to deliver on their digital ambition. The reality is that the new world moves at lightning speed and to compete in this world, organizations need to think fast, decide fast, execute fast, fail fast, learn fast, and scale fast. And doing so, is not about simply introducing digital technologies — it requires seismic change in how organizations structure, lead, attract, develop, and engage their people.

FUTURE OF WORK

Left unaddressed, global talent shortages will constrict growth for organizations and economies in the future of work…

A major crisis is coming, a seismic shock that will impact organizations and economies around the world. Global labor shortages of 85.2 million skilled workers are projected by 2030, resulting in lost revenue opportunities of $8.452 trillion – the combined GDP of Germany and Japan.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

The business case for undertaking a corporate transaction is compelling. Companies who undertake successful M&As nearly always outperform their industry peers. But, while such transformations can offer substantial business benefits, the unfortunate reality is that true success is rare. The main reason for failure of corporate transactions is “deal paradox.” In most cases, 90% of the pre-deal value of an organization will be determined by tangible assets such as market share, EBITDA, CARG, pension contributions, and technology, while only 10% will be based on intangibles such as organizational structure, culture, brand loyalty and leadership. Post-deal, however, the success of the transaction is 90% dependent on the activation of these intangible assets and only 10% on the accumulation of tangible ones. The message is clear: achieving a successful integration comes down to activating your people.

SALES FORCE EFFECTIVENESS

Sales leaders are painfully aware of the fact that buying behavior has changed more in the past ten years than it did in the previous thirty. Today’s customers have access to a vast array of information – from suppliers, purchasing consultants, and social networks – that promote independent decision-making. It’s not unusual for a customer to complete more than 75% of their purchase journey before they ever engage a sales person. Additionally, as technology enables suppliers to offer more complex, expensive and risky solutions, customers have become far more risk averse, bringing more and more stakeholders to the table to weigh in on the purchase decision. This is leading to a drawn-out consensus-building process that often results in no decision for the seller. Quotas are being missed, confidence is waning, and discretionary effort is slipping, creating a self-propagating downward spiral of sales productivity.

michael thomann; michael-thomann boston; michael-thomann massachusetts; michael thomann boston; michael thomann massachusetts