Leading with focus: A new approach to value creation  

What if you could cut through the complexities of today’s business environment and focus solely on the decisions that truly create measurable impact for your organization? Marcel Vandieken, Managing Partner at Eraneos, explains how a fresh approach to strategy can empower CEOs to do just that. The Eraneos Value Creation Plan replaces traditional, outdated methods with a practical and agile process that delivers results within weeks, not months. Read on to learn how this approach brings focus, feasibility, and even fun back to the CEO’s office. 

The modern CEO’s dilemma

“CEOs today are navigating an increasingly complex environment,” explains Marcel Vandieken, Managing Partner at Eraneos. “Geopolitical instability and new technologies are converging with regulatory requirements and overstretched organizations. Companies are facing successive waves of transformation, from digitalization on the front- and backend, to agile operating models, and now the urgent need to adopt AI, mitigate cyber risks, and empower the teams. It can be challenging for leaders to maintain a clear overview, understand how these moving parts interact, and pinpoint the most critical value drivers.” 

Amid this overload, focus is often the first casualty. Leadership time is consumed by endless operational demands while critical issues, like how to ensure long-term value creation, frequently fall by the wayside. For decades, companies have turned to consulting firms for guidance, but Vandieken believes the traditional approach to strategy often adds to the noise rather than cutting through it. 

“A common shortcoming of traditional strategy is its tendency to produce polished presentations and reports that lack real impact. Organizations often end up with a long list of initiatives, but once the consultants leave, it becomes unclear how these actions contribute to value creation. The challenge lies in the fact that strategy is often developed in isolation, without adequately involving the technological and operational experts responsible for execution. This disconnect frequently results in plans that are difficult to implement effectively.” 

Eraneos’ Value Creation Plan

What if you could replace long reports and spreadsheets with a single, dynamic view of your business? “Imagine a real-time dashboard showing your company’s key value drivers as one big value driver tree,” explains Vandieken. “This view allows leaders to proactively address root causes of success, rather than reacting to lagging P&L indicators. It shows which streams are on track and where action is needed.”

This is the idea behind the Eraneos Value Creation Plan. It begins with a fundamental question: What does ‘value’ truly mean for your business? Unlike generic approaches, this framework tailors its focus to priorities that are unique to each company.

“Private equity-owned companies often focus on maximizing EBITDA to prepare for a five-to-seven-year exit,” Vandieken says. “Publicly traded or family-owned companies with longer time horizons, however, may have different priorities. For example, I once asked the CEO of a major European energy company whether he would prefer to double EBITDA or lead the energy transition in his region. He chose the energy transition without hesitation. For him, societal goals and long-term relevance were the key value drivers. While financial returns still mattered, the energy transition would define the company’s future. For family-owned companies, the focus is more on maintaining strong client relationships, ensuring employee satisfaction, and safeguarding stability for future generations.”

Eraneos works collaboratively with leadership teams to map out their specific value drivers, whether that’s client and employee satisfaction, financial performance, or social impact. “In doing so, we create a model that reflects the unique DNA and purpose of the business,” Vandieken explains. 

Grounding strategy in reality

A vision is only powerful if it’s achievable. The Eraneos Value Creation Plan transforms strategy from a theoretical exercise into a collaborative, reality-tested process grounded in real-world application. “Our strength is that we involve operational and technology experts from the very beginning,” Vandieken emphasizes.

The framework also addresses the slow pace of traditional strategy development. “In classical consulting, six months of analysis might pass before first results emerge,” Vandieken says. “Our agile approach builds on validated insights from cross-functional teams. Through workshops, we quickly create an initial value driver tree and focus analysis and strategy development on the most important elements.” This approach gives clients clarity and allows them to focus on the value drivers with the highest impact. 

With an integrated service portfolio spanning strategy to execution, Eraneos is perfectly equipped to guide clients through today’s complex transformations; whether it’s developing innovative ecosystem strategies for energy companies, crafting data-driven business models for automotives, or implementing automated AI processes in financial services. 

Bringing the fun back into the CEO office

“My goal,” Vandieken concludes, “is to bring the fun back into the CEO office.” This statement reflects the essence of the Eraneos approach: simplifying complexity and providing an actionable framework that reduces administrative burden. Instead of managing countless value drivers, CEOs can concentrate on priorities that truly matter, leading with clarity and purpose.