Why fast presidents win and quiet disappear

Tariffs are now not just economic tools. These are branding tests, revealing which presidents based on two moves forward and which are frozen like deer in headlights.

CEO Birkenstock, Oliver Reichert, I knew higher. He didn’t wait for the tariffs. He loaded American supplies before the ink dried after each official commercial. Philippe Benacin, CEO of Interparfums, didn’t wait for the first uncomfortable query of investors. He raised prices before Everyone even asked about margins.

This is a vivid message on the market: I’m predictive, not reactive.

The speed of response is the latest KPI management

Today, general directors are assessed after they quickly turn under pressure. They are assessed on the basis of how quickly they react and do not react. This is a latest CEO stick.

“Stock silence” does not signal strength. Signals indecision. And this signals the lack of direction and beliefs. He can risk a brand that has spent years at the construction site. Most of the time, silence in the crisis tells a easy story:

• You didn’t see it.
• You didn’t prepare.
• You wait for another person to set a narrative for you.
• You are not a trusted leader.

And if you do not have your history, another person will do it. Investors, customers and competitors will write it for you.

There are some exceptions to the rules. If you know that the answer will create a “fire brigade” or keep the story for longer than naturally alone, silence will be an option.

We are in the era of a predictive brand

Predictive presidents are not waiting for the tidal wave hit. They build embankments before the clouds even gather.

It’s a real game. Waiting is crucial and it’s going to turn out to be the advantage of the brand. When Birkenstock overtook wrestling, Oliver Reichert not only managed the risk of the supply chain. He told sellers and consumers: We think further than the competition.

When Interparfums announced a price increase, Philippe Benacin showed leadership to partners, investors and clients. Predictive movements send a quiet but stunning signal: “We see our leadership around the bends.”

And on a crowded, chaotic market this perception is priceless.

Hidden waiting costs

Some presidents find that patience is wisdom. “Let’s wait and see,” they say, nodding at the table of the conference room.

Here’s what “Waiting and vision” actually buys:

• Narratives have leaked to the press that you just cannot control.
• Competitors who develop your brand as slow, weak or confused.
• Customers who lose their faith before you open their mouths.
• Investors who reduce the quote when you are still developing a statement.

Crisis management is not a private exercise; It is often a public performance. This is a approach to raise or derail the CEO brand. The sooner you enter the stage with your individual script, the greater the likelihood to take care of intact popularity.

The brand’s erosion is silent until it is

The brand rarely dies with a bang. He dies with a series of small silence, slight fluctuations and skiing omitted.

One delay results in the other. One query unanswered is one hundred. Soon you are not perceived as strategic, but as an alternative you are perceived as slow.

Birkenstock and Interparfums are comprehensible. Not only did they work faster than their competitors. They meant their speed. This is one other level of leadership. You signal that you just are the variety of leader who He is already preparing for them.

Leadership is a narrative sport

Forget about spreadsheets for a moment. Forget about market participation. At the basis of leadership, it is a narrative sport today. And the winning narrative is easy: I saw this first. I moved first.

When general directors move preventively, they write the history of the championship and take the brand general to their very own hands.

They tell employees: Your works are secure because we play chess, not checkers.
They tell investors: Your money is secure because we anticipate and not react.
They tell competitors: You cut our shadow, not the other way around.

An issue that every general director must answer

When the next tariff drops, the next regulation moves or the next wave of public sentiments, your brand will have a latest test.

It won’t be: Have you replied? It can be: Did you progress before anyone knew you needed to?

It can be: Did you behave like chess or deer in the headlights?

Because in this latest economy branding CEO consists in predicting weather patterns and sailing before the remainder of the fleet even notices that the winds are changing.

Win tomorrow, telling today

You don’t have to manage every thing. You cannot predict every crisis. But you’ll be able to control your speed. You can control your voice. You can control whether your brand is the first voice or the last apology.

General directors, who dominate the next decade, tell them before the headlines catch up.

They will play chess in a room stuffed with frozen deer.

Which will your general director can be?