10 key takeaways from

Davos 2024
Despite uncertainties, leaders are coming away
from Davos cautiously optimistic about this year
1.
Speed is crucial to
outperformance
Compared with peers in slow-moving companies,
leaders in fast-moving organizations report 2.1
times higher operational resilience, 2.5 times
higher financial performance, 3.0 times higher
growth, and 4.8 times higher innovation.
2.
Cooperation is
multifaceted and can
coexist with competition
Leaders can practice “coopetition”—balancing
cooperation and competition—to advance shared
interests in specific areas, despite lack of
alignment elsewhere.
3.
The generative AI
revolution is only
just beginning
Gen AI is poised to transform roles and boost
performance across functions such as sales and
marketing, customer operations, and software
development. It could unlock trillions of dollars in
value across sectors from banking to life sciences.
4.
Sustainability is a
business imperative
Navigating the net-zero economy has become
more complicated over the past 12 months, but
companies that take courageous action can
accelerate value creation and reposition
themselves ahead of competitors.
5.
Better women’s health
is correlated with
economic prosperity
Investments addressing the women’s health gap
could add years to life and life to years—and
potentially boost the global economy by $1 trillion
annually by 2040.
6.
A comprehensive approach
to transformation is
most effective
Four essential elements for transformation
success—will, skill, rigor, and scope—could give
leaders a better chance at outpacing the
competition in a time of constant disruption and
change.
7.
Business leaders must
focus on matching top
talent to high-value roles
In many organizations, between 20 and 30
percent of critical roles aren’t filled by the most
appropriate people. Skills-based hiring could help
organizations access new talent pools.
8.
The best CEOs leave
organizations in a better
place than they found
them
Complacency is a common challenge for chief
executives, but it doesn’t have to be. Top-performing
CEOs create truly distinctive value.
9.
Performance & diversity
aren’t mutually exclusive
At a time when companies are under extraordinary
pressure to maintain financial performance while
navigating a rapidly changing business landscape,
the business case for diversity not only holds, but
grows.
10.
Don’t overlook
India’s potential
India is transforming rapidly as one of the fastest
growing large economies in the world. When it
comes to technology, talent, healthcare, and other
areas, its future in 2024—and beyond—is worth
paying attention to.