Build Faster, Aim Higher, Stay Stronger.
Organizations that Go Faster, Higher, and Stronger Will Define the Next Decade.
The Decade of Performance
Olympic athletes pursue one creed: citius, altius, fortius, faster, higher, stronger. Coined in 1894, it once applied only to sport. Today, it defines competition across every sector.
The Roland Berger Think: Act Faster, Higher, Stronger report makes the case that markets no longer reward scale or legacy alone. Winners of this decade will not be one-trick sprinters; they will be decathletes, able to perform across speed, resilience, reinvention, and cultural stamina.
From Moderna’s lightning-fast vaccine rollout to Microsoft’s reinvention of Teams during the pandemic, the lesson is clear: performance isn’t episodic anymore. It has become an operating system.
Specialists, Generalists, and Adaptive Power
Biology teaches a blunt truth: specialization breeds fragility. The cheetah dominates the sprint but fails if the hunt lasts longer than a minute. Silent film actors faded with the arrival of sound; Nokia and Motorola, once dominant in mobile, fell when smartphones shifted the game.
Markets, like ecosystems, change disciplines mid-race. The most versatile survive. In sport, Nafi Thiam’s mastery across seven events crowned her Olympic heptathlon champion. In business, the best-prepared organizations train the same way, diversifying capabilities so they can excel no matter how the rules change.
Speed as the Deciding Factor
Velocity now outranks legacy. Moderna compressed the vaccine development cycle by 80%, turning speed into resilience. Microsoft transformed Teams from an also-ran into the backbone of remote work practically overnight. Tesla’s over-the-air software updates taught consumers to expect constant evolution, not static products.
The pandemic proved it: the slow don’t just trail, they drop out. In business, as in sport, reaction time now determines survival.
Higher Standards in a Pressure Economy
Ambition no longer means marginal improvement. It means resetting standards. Apple doesn’t just release new devices; it rewrites the rules of what consumers expect. Ørsted pivoted from coal to renewables, proving ambition can reposition an entire sector. Airbus and Boeing race at the limits of physics, efficiency, and sustainability.
But ambition carries risk. Athletes who push too far resort to doping. Companies under pressure take shortcuts, from greenwashing to exploitative practices. The higher the standard, the sharper the scrutiny. Ambition without resilience erodes credibility.
Resilience as Strategic Bedrock
Consistency is now the ultimate strength. Diversified supply chains outlasted pandemic shocks. Banks with capital buffers endured turbulence better than those chasing short-term gains. Champions like Serena Williams prove greatness lies not in one victory but in sustained excellence across decades.
Resilience demands deliberate design: scenario planning, operational redundancy, and cultural stamina. It is the corporate equivalent of training not just for a sprint, but for a marathon of unpredictable terrain.
Rethinking Measurement
Modern performance is awash in data. KPIs, NPS, quarterly ratios, every action is tracked, ranked, compared. But the Roland Berger report warns that metric obsession narrows vision. Columbia professor Eric Abrahamson notes, “CEOs need marching songs.” Metrics help orient, but when they become fetishized, firms optimize for numbers instead of survival.
Elite athletes don’t train only to hit one stat. They balance strength, endurance, and adaptability. Companies must do the same: treat measurement as compass, not handcuffs.
Making Reinvention Routine
Resilience absorbs shocks. Reinvention seizes opportunities. Irish consultant Aidan McCullen calls it “permanent reinvention”, not a one-time pivot but a daily discipline.
Microsoft reasserted dominance by embedding Teams at the center of digital workflows, not through one pivot but continuous adaptation. Motorola left handsets behind and thrived in communications and surveillance tech. Nokia pivoted from phones to network infrastructure, proving giants can reinvent.
Success now means building reinvention into the system — as routine as training drills for an athlete.
Culture: The Engine of Performance
Technology accelerates processes, but human energy powers performance. Gallup research shows engaged employees drive a 21% profitability lift. Cultures that promote transparency and fairness, as forensic accountant Kelly Richmond Pope argues, deter fraud and build trust.
Sport reinforces this truth. The All Blacks rugby team’s ritual of “sweeping the sheds” reflects humility, discipline, and collective responsibility, habits that translate into sustained dominance.
Organizations that ignore culture burn out before they peak. Systems fail when the people inside them lack energy, trust, and resilience.
CEO Playbook for the Decade Ahead
Train as decathletes. Build broad capability across speed, resilience, and reinvention.
Design for speed. Streamline governance and empower decision-making at the front line.
Raise standards responsibly. Set higher goals while protecting credibility and authenticity.
Build for endurance. Diversify supply chains, strengthen finances, and stress-test leadership.
Measure what matters. Use data as feedback, not as an idol.
Make reinvention habitual. Embed adaptability into daily practice, not one-off campaigns.
Center human energy. Foster cultures that renew themselves, protecting against burnout.
Bottom Line: Performance is No Longer a Project. It is an Operating Philosophy.
The Faster, Higher, Stronger report shows the champions of the 2020s and 2030s will be corporate decathletes: fast enough to react, ambitious enough to raise standards, strong enough to endure shocks, and adaptable enough to reinvent daily. Specialization wins sprints. Systemic performance wins eras.
For CEOs, the mandate is blunt: don’t just prepare for today’s race, build for the whole competition.
