I recently read “Crash Landing: The Inside Story of How the World's Biggest Companies Survived an Economy on the Brink” by award-winning business journalist Liz Hoffman. It was an interesting exposé about how the world's most powerful CEOs built the US economy only to watch it fall before their eyes – and never saw it coming.
The book does a great job of putting the reader in the middle of the CEO experience, from the realization of how deep the pandemic crisis would be, to the strategies they were working on to save their companies. Clayco and our team had these same stories. From helping the White House and CDC navigate how to work safely to keep our job sites going, to responding to the drastic growth of E-Commerce, we responded to the same circumstances.
Everyone remembers the early days of March 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic placed the planet on pause. The world’s biggest companies were riding an eleven-year economic high, but by month’s end, millions were out of work, iconic firms were begging for bailouts, and small businesses worldwide were in freefall. Business leaders had to make quick game-time decisions in an attempt to salvage their enterprises, which is what Hoffman highlights in her book.
From the warning signs after the 2008 global financial crisis to major companies overlooking collateral damage and risks as workers flocked to gig-economy jobs, Hoffman demonstrates how CEOs battled economic catastrophe and its heavy implications for the future of work. Featuring original interviews with the people in charge and excellent reporting, “Crash Landing” provides excellent insight into the inner workings of global markets and what influences them.
I recommend this book for executives, historians, and those who care to evaluate the question: Will this unique time facilitate newfound resilience or become another costly forgotten mistake?
