Use the crisis as an opportunity A chance to make your business and the world at large better Re-examine everything from the health of your brand to the financials to the customer experience Find opportunities to optimize Think about your employees and how more equitable and fairer actions can create a better workplace and a more empowered workforce Think about the world beyond the company- those directly impacted from the economic fallout and how you might find relevance and application there and how you might think about playing a role in enhancing public institutions and structures

1. HOW TO THINK BIGGER
ABOUT BUILDING BACK
BETTER
PREPARED BY: ED COTTON
BETA VERSION – JULY 2020

2. WHY THIS DECK?
• The pressure is on the short-term and the immediate which is key to
survival, but this alone is not enough for companies to endure the
crisis
• They need to be thinking in two speeds- the current present and the
next present
• The next present is about building better to turn the crisis as an
opportunity to optimize the business and to re-think how to operates
with its employees, society and the wider world
• This deck is in beta – very preliminary, not comprehensive and
somewhat simplistic- but it is a prime on how to think bigger in
order to Build Back Better.

3. CONTEXT – ENGRAINED IN JAPANESE
CULTURE
• At the opening speech of the Third UN World Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction, The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo
Abe, clearly spoke about this concept, saying
• "The word of Build Back Better sounds like a new concept but
this is common sense to the Japanese people, coming from our
historical experiences in recovering from disaster and
preparing for the future, and it has become an important part
of the culture of Japan".

4. WHY IT MATTERS IN THE NOW IN THE US?
• COVID19 has an is exposing weaknesses in the economic and
social fabric of the country
• Everything from racial inequality, to housing, to education to
healthcare and even the mighty capitalism is being questioned
• Expectation from many that the crisis is used as an opportunity
to rebuild these systems and structures

5. BUT IT’S POLITICAL
• To some extent it is being used by politicians to describe an
opportunity for policies
• However, politics and government institutions alone cannot
complete the magnitude of the task alone

6. HOW DOES IT APPLY TO BUSINESS?
• It can work as a mantra for business and it can connect to the broader idea
• Why?
• Business needs to be re-thought because of the challenges from COVID19 and the
financial pressures from the economic consequences
• Consumers may have new demands and expectations from your business
• Supply chains maybe disrupted and need to be rethought to build in resilience
• The expectation that organizational structures and policies need to be rethought in light of
a prolonged period of racial injustice
• The societal impact of economic depression will demand imagination and generosity
• Public sector institutions will need public sector help
• The climate and environmental crisis is not being put on hold

7. MINDSET SHIFT
• We need a shift of emphasis away from shareholders and the
short-term only
• Business needs to take a broader view of stakeholders to
include its customers, employees and society at large
• It needs to become people-centric and people focused
• Selfish competition needs to be replaced by collaborative
generosity

8. QUESTIONS TO ASK
• Three Areas and Lenses for Better
• Economic and Financial
• Employees
• Sustainable

9. QUESTIONS TO ASK
• Building a Better Business- Economic and Financial
• What is currently financially and economically wrong with the business?
• Do you have a brand and how healthy is it?
• What has changed with the customer and what expectations do they
know have?
• Do insights from this understanding lead to new ways for the business
to generate short-term revenues
• What frictions exist that could be removed?
• How can the supply chain be made more resilient?

10. QUESTIONS TO ASK
• Building a Better Business – Employees
• How are they?
• How do they currently feel about you and their jobs?
• What is currently wrong or unjust about the organization in terms of
hiring, promotion and treatment of employees?
• What could be improved?
• What real actions can be put in place to make change?
• Can you set yourself targets from real transformative, not token change?

11. QUESTIONS TO ASK
• Building a Better Business- Sustainable
• Sustainability isn’t CSR or about the environment- it is about the
elements that are responsible for the long-term continued success of
the business and making sure it makes a positive contribution to society
• Do you have a current policy and goal built with sustainable goals in
mind?
• Are those targets ambitious enough?
• Are they in line with leaders in the field and goals set by institutions like
the UN?

12. QUESTIONS TO ASK
• Building a Better Business- Sustainable
• Have you worked out how you can save resources and money at the
same time?
• Are you collaborating with competitors to make greater positive change?
• Are you aware of the key impacts of the economic depression on
society- do you have a role to play in filling the gaps in education,
housing, health, etc.?
• Can your collective brains and hearts put to good use to help public
institutions that need help?

13. SUMMARY
• Use the crisis as an opportunity
• A chance to make your business and the world at large better
• Re-examine everything from the health of your brand to the financials to the
customer experience
• Find opportunities to optimize
• Think about your employees and how more equitable and fairer actions can
create a better workplace and a more empowered workforce
• Think about the world beyond the company- those directly impacted from the
economic fallout and how you might find relevance and application there and
how you might think about playing a role in enhancing public institutions and
structures