Madison’s Marsha Lindsay Unveils Competitive Edge Research at London Summit

First of three global presentations highlight findings on the use of AI, execs’ futures

LONDON  — In research released in London Sept. 30, Marsha Lindsay, CEO and Chief Analyst of Lindsay Foresight & Stratagem in Madison, revealed many CEOs, leadership teams, and Boards of Directors are unaware that marketplace forces, such as AI, are risking the future viability of their companies and their careers.

Lindsay, a globally respected researcher, keynote speaker and trainer on competitive advantage to C-suites and Boards based in Madison, Wis., focused her study on more than 300 discussions with senior executives and directors of corporate boards. Her work uncovered a widespread leadership gap resulting in outdated plans that don’t adequately optimize customer-centric practices.

“Many executives are starting to experience a decline in sales, margin and momentum, but struggling to figure out why,” Lindsay said. “They’re missing out on efficiencies along with opportunities to scale. They’re misapplying AI technology. They have a seriously out of date conception of brand strategy.”

She said that for true competitive advantage, companies must deliver their products in consumer-centric ways that validate their customers’ self-concept and enable their personal aspirations.

“Forty years ago, Peter Drucker stressed customer focus. Today, few operate with the customer-centricity needed to compete in the future,” Lindsay said. “Achieving competitive advantage requires organizing and operating with the utmost focus on buyers and users. This means operations, data, AI, insight, innovations– revolving at ever faster rates to meet and exceed expectations for instant access, immediate satisfaction, and personalization.”

Lindsay presented her initial findings last week at The Indie Summit, an international conference produced by thenetworkone. She will also speak on the critical role of customer centricity for competitive advantage in Washington, D.C., at the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Oct.13 and Nov. 5-6 at the World Business Forum’s USA and Canada conference, called World of Business Ideas (WOBI), on the topic, “Rethink Your Competitive Strategy.”  Both conferences are in New York City.

NACD is an influential organization for more than 24,000 directors of boards including many from Fortune 500 companies. WOBI is a premier annual conference that brings together thousands of senior executives from around the globe to explore cutting-edge ideas in leadership, innovation, and business strategy.