The world is in a constant state of flux, driven by technological supremacy, where common sense bows to digital evolution, and the rules of the game shift at the speed of innovation. This universe, perpetually “under construction,” presents new demands every day—but also new opportunities. At Horse, our guiding principle is simple: the world is digital, and the only way to understand and navigate it is through big data.
Corporate nostalgia belongs to the realm of fiction, and old strategies are nothing more than anecdotes over coffee, ineffective in today’s economic landscape. Gone are the days when decisions were made based on perceptions, which now hold as much relevance as astrology. Tell Amazon to form a focus group to predict user preferences or ask Tesla to send out surveys to gauge interest in their next electric vehicle—seems absurd, right?
Despite the buzz around terms like Industry 4.0, Web3, and AI, and the acknowledgment that digital transformation is key to survival, here’s the paradox: most companies only analyze 12% of their data—and only 1% do it the right way.
Let’s be clear: the potential of data crosses all areas of business, and its analysis impacts every stage of decision-making. Evaluating a CEO’s influence, like Brian Niccol, to craft the best positioning strategy is just as important as analyzing Starbucks´s customer behavior. The latter is common practice—the former, not so much. We’ll turn a blind eye to the olive oil latte adventure.
In an era where uncertainty is the only certainty, adopting new technologies to amplify the impact of a CEO’s interventions, understand a company’s influence potential, and reduce the margin of error in every decision is crucial to success.
Big data is the new wellspring of wisdom, an encyclopedia that sees all, knows all, and misses nothing. It’s a modern-day guru, free of pretensions, whose guidance is essential to survival. Data is the pillar behind actionable recommendations that help executives fine-tune their influence strategies and plan based on metrics. But technology alone isn’t enough—without the right team to interpret and translate this data into valuable insights, it’s just a pile of meaningless numbers.
Here’s where the Horse team comes into play—turning mountains of data into reports that give decision-makers a competitive edge, helping them set the agenda, differentiate within their industry, or navigate the complex landscapes of regions like the Middle East or Latin America, where unpredictability is all too common.
As the transformation agenda accelerates, organizational leaders must be the first to base their decisions on data. Market disruption, the pandemic, the 10x tech rollout, and the proliferation of new skills and business units have all fueled this urgency. CEOs today are compelled to make critical decisions and course corrections. Without reliable data to support their strategies, they’re steering straight into icebergs—and there may not be enough lifeboats.
Key attributes to mastering the new economic model are scalability, innovation, sustainability, and agility. CEOs need to adopt a forward-thinking approach, leveraging their position today to build a future we can barely predict. Forget the ten-year plan—within just four years, we’ve witnessed a global pandemic and two wars. Leaders now need a solid foundation of data to react swiftly, make complex decisions with minimal error, and act based on real-time, actionable insights.
Big data is slowly reshaping how companies think, operate, and create value. A company whose CEO fosters a culture of data-driven decision-making is not just smart—it’s ahead of the game. This isn’t a secret weapon; it’s the full deck. It’s the competitive advantage of our time, and every influential leader today has these cards and knows exactly how to play them.
It’s not just about understanding a CEO’s standing within their industry, but also their relevance in key areas that impact their influence, like innovation, sustainability, diversity, or climate change—even when these issues aren’t directly related to their business. And to assess a CEO’s capacity to influence, you must also know what other power players are doing in the same arena where they seek to lead.
In the past, influence was measured – what an awful word – through gut instincts or subjective observations, prone to biases and incomplete views. Today, data speaks CEOs and companies are no longer slaves to a skewed top-of-mind, or the distorted images perpetuated by select media outlets.
Influence is built, and this is where strategy consultants like Horse, who base their recommendations on big data, play a crucial role in positioning the most influential CEOs. Managing influence is the new secret formula—think of it as the Coca-Cola recipe for organizational success. And there’s no Pepsi in sight.
At Horse, our Data-Based Positioning Program is the cornerstone of our methodology, designed to deliver strategic positioning for leaders based on solid data insights. We start by identifying key gaps in positioning, analyzing competitors, and defining the specific opportunities available. Our proprietary tool, Charlie, continuously monitors and interprets millions of data points—from media coverage and social interactions to industry trends—giving us a real-time view of a CEO’s influence and positioning. This data-driven approach allows us to refine strategies with precision, ensuring that every decision and recommendation is backed by comprehensive analysis rather than subjective opinions.
Our methodology doesn’t stop at data collection. We move beyond diagnostics to provide a tailored execution plan, designed to build a coherent narrative and amplify influence across multiple platforms. We ensure consistency in messaging across media, LinkedIn, public speaking engagements, and industry events, maintaining a unified presence. Through consistent data monitoring and KPI tracking, we adjust strategies in real-time, detecting new opportunities and emerging trends. This ensures that our clients not only maintain but expand their leadership in the market, positioning them as true thought leaders.
So, dear CEO, if you haven’t embraced big data yet, it’s time to start making data-driven decisions. But beware—it’s not just about technology: you need the right people, those who have the expertise and skill to read the data, identify opportunities or gaps, and craft an action plan that aligns with your goals and vision. It’s not about updating software or adding another task to the data scientist who knows little about positioning. As in every link of the value chain, people are the most critical variable. To extract strategic insights from data, you need to invest in the right experts and the right technology. Because without skilled hands, even the best tool is useless.
