We have reached the end of our series of meetings and the beginning of a new paradigm.
With this week's conversation, we conclude our series of meetings with market leaders on value creation at humanity's tipping point. We discussed the evolution of retail and strong businesses with Márcio Utsch, chairman of the board of CEMIG and former president of Alpargatas.
Yesterday's meeting began under the optimistic outlook of the news that the number of active Covid-19 cases in New Zealand had reached zero, and we discussed how the current moment leads us to profound reflections as humanity. We took the opportunity to summarize the main points of the TIP Insights series towards our commitment to the new capitalism that is now emerging.
Let's look at the highlights of this closing meeting:
Matters of a higher order
The current context places us in a situation of widespread uncertainty, which demands a profound reconsideration of our structures and mindset. The narrative of our current economic model is based on polarization, where, in order to have winners, we have to accept losers. And, from what we can see, this narrative has not helped to build value.
We need to evolve towards an ecosystemic and interdependent vision. Focused on learning, unlearning, and relearning as the world demands change from us, we want to build an economy of trust, where the advantage is collaborative and every relationship is win-win-win. To arrive at actions and solutions that positively impact the individual, businesses, and the planet, we must replace feelings of threat with reactions and behaviors of opportunity.
Not everything is unprecedented.
We know that, increasingly, change is the constant. But not everything is a consequence of the pandemic we are going through. Digital acceleration and a healthier relationship with consumption were already growing trends, which may be reaching their tipping point with the current context.
It's important to seize opportunities for growth and reinvention arising from the changes that occur, but do we need to wait for an extraordinary situation to act? May we embrace digital maturity as part of our daily behaviors and constantly cultivate conscious consumption habits.
Successful companies
According to Márcio Utsch, regardless of the crisis, what has always been behind successful companies is talented people, a structured balance sheet, and strong branding. The expert believes we will need a restructured balance sheet to resume our "normal" activities, and it is essential to have engaged and aligned people to build the new reality and a clear vision of the future we want.
Even before addressing these three pillars, Márcio highlights two important questions: based on what I already do, what can I do better? And: how can I make my brand essential to the society in which I live? After all, we are not starting from scratch in what we want to create now, and we need society's support and contribution to the health of our businesses, because our brands are essential and our purposes align with people's worldview.
The new capitalism
We know we need to create something new. Capitalism needs to change and make new commitments to society, based on affection, purpose, and a different relationship with technology. Have you thought about the commitments you will make to achieve this?
Simple yet powerful business management fundamentals, as well as our deepest and most reflective resolutions, need to be put into practice. We've done the work of dialogue and knowledge building. Now is the time for commitment in building something new. Shall we do it together?
