IMD-OWP22-PostEvent-Report-V11[8]

→Leadership

KEYNOTE

For Holcim, this means building more with less at the construction phase, for example, by reusing demolition materials and decarbonizing its products, making buildings more energy efficient when they are in use, and transitioning to a circular construction economy. There is also a need to lobby for new national building norms and standards to encourage greater uptake of sustainable solutions in the industry and to change consumer behaviors. At Holcim, Jenisch has the additional challenge of changing the culture of a traditional, 110-year-old company, for example, to attract and retain more diverse pools of talent. Currently, women make up 15% of Holcim’s global workforce and 30% of executive committee positions. “Diverse teams work so much better,” he said. Jenisch shared six reflections for business leaders faced with juggling similar challenges in Digitalization, diversity, and sustainability are reshaping our world, Jenisch said. CEOs and organizations that do not accept this, and do not act quickly enough to adapt, will not have a place in tomorrow’s world, he argued. DO NOT BE THE BOTTLENECK OF CHANGE It is not the job of the CEO to be in the driver’s seat for every innovation or to be the expert on all the latest trends. Instead, Jenisch emphasized the importance of enabling and empowering talent with the right know-how to lead the charge in the transformation of organizations. AGILITY AND SPEED OVER PERFECTION There is no point in waiting for the ideal solution for the complex challenges of an ever- changing world, especially when it comes to megatrends such as a digitalization, diversity, and sustainability. organizational transformation. ACCEPT THE NEWREALITY

“All these areas are not fully developed,” he said. “You cannot wait for the final outcome or the perfect plan. You had better keep on ‘doing’ today, and improve step by step, otherwise you are going to be too late.” PARTNERSHIPS ARE KEY Holcim has fostered more than 500 start-up partnerships in an open ecosystem to innovate new ideas for the sustainable future of building. “These trends are very complex, especially sustainability,” Jenisch said. “We need partners to decarbonize our operation. We need partners to develop the solutions – we cannot do this alone.” “Companies normally like to do everything by themselves and take a strong lead, keeping the knowhow inside,” he added. “For sustainability, you need more of an open network and to partner with people who know how to make it happen.”

“YOU CANNOT WAIT FOR THE FINAL OUTCOME OR THE PERFECT PLAN. YOU HAD BETTER KEEP ON ‘DOING’ TODAY, AND IMPROVE STEP BY STEP,

OTHERWISE YOU ARE GOING TO BE TOO LATE.”

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