announcer: bususiness news from the capital region. this is "washington business report" with abc 7 national correspondent rebecca cooper. [captioning perfmed by the national captioning institut which is r respoible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] rebecca: thank you for jning us this week for a fre looat siness and finance in the shinon region and how it affects you. coming up, advice for small businesses from a big name in washington. and the annual c.e.o. surveys out. what you need to know about 20 predictions and trends from 1400 of the people e at the top of the buness lette but first we sit down for a one-on-one with the man at t top of the comny that conducts that survey, pricewaterhousecpers is one of the ggest t global names in business with the besnetwork ofonsultants proroviding

information and 150 companies. revenues talk and $4 bilon. that mak it the fifth largest companin the u.s. we talked to one o of the country's biggest business leaders who admits heever set out to be the executive in charge. you have had a fascinating career. but you did not start at harvard business school. it went touny oswego. ever regegret t having a h harvard degree? >> not at alall. the realitys the education system is all dependent upon what you put in and him get out of it. what a university degree does for you to set the stage for the potential regardless. it is what you do after that matters. i have no aspirations to be the c.e.o. of this organization. i had no aspirations i would even stay with that organization. i left that state university

saying i am doing two years and getting out. it became around the experiences i got an maximizing those. my time in human capital, my time in japan. my time in some projects i did that allowed me to see what thihis organization has to offer and get to a position of success. i had great sponsors that helped me along the way. i had great opportunities as a result. as a result of that, i had a grt opportunity to say how can we take it from point a to b with the businesses i have t responsibility for. rebecca: you are very candid you say not only did you notot aspirere to the c.o. job, but you did not stand out at all your first few years. what was your turning point when someone first gave you the opportunity where you first got really engaged? bob: it was probably three years into the job. the thing that clicked was understanding my role d how i fit in the overall strategy. his first two years, i was sort of lost. i had a mindset of get in and get out.

that was the commitment from my side of the equation. understanding the strategy and what we do and having a role to play in having people around me that say you are adding value and feel good about that and doing a good job, that is what sprung me to the next level to say i am more committed and ultimately allowed for success to go forward. rebecca: how do you do that in a firm that size? what is the current size? bob: we have 44,000 people in the u.s. and 210,000 people around the world. rebecca: what is the annual? bob: around the world, about $34 billion revenue. rebecca: it is hard to be one guy coming in at entry-level and find your way in an organization that size. tips for others on how to do it? bob: this goes to the next generation millennial. they want to be engaged. engagement does not mean you're interacting all the time. it means i get a sense othe strategy. i know i he a role to play and can understand what it is.

i feel like i am conjure and gettg recognized -- i am contribute and getting recognized. it is the same strategy i talk about with our partners in management group that we give to our staff. weake to them, what can you do to do the objectives for the firm andor you to be successful? we are as good as the people that work in p.w.c. our brand is 200,000 people. rebecca: everybody says that but what is good? do you like a worker that day one starts speaking of? do you like someone who starts speaking up after a year or two? bob: i would rather have the person speaking up right away. i woululd rather have those people that have intellectual curiosity to learn more to challengege t the system. th is where innovation will come from. that is where change will come from, from the bottom up. it will not come from the top down. we have the risk is a country or corporation to squash innovation. if you squash innovation from

the 22-year-olds, they will walk and go somewhere else where they have the opportunity to succeed. rebecca: let me ask you about what you learned as a single workingg parent. you walked in many women's shoes. did you feel you have to take a step back from your career to leave the office at 5:00? do you feel you paid a price? bob: i felt guilty and inwardly focused. i ner told people i was divorced. it was a little bit of this is my issue. i was reluctant to talk about it. that is one of the issues with people in general and women in terms of how vocal you be with your team and colleagues and friends but also your bosses and the like. the thing we tried to do differently as a result of that learning is how to get people to trust one another, open up, and put their issues out there. i can think about people who said i'm going to work alnight and this my kid's birthy party -- miss my kid's birthday party.

did they tell you that? if you don't have an environment where people can say i need to get out of here, if that environment is not there, they will be reluctant to share. i woul argue lean in his great from a woman's perspective. rebecca: you have been a big proponent. bob: women leaning in is one thing. if organizations do not give support, they willll fall over. environmentally, make it safe to say i have got to leave at 4:00. make it acceptable to do that. make it a team effort to say i will support you because you will be successful regardless. rebecca: pricewaterhousecoopers such an enormous giant. what is next for the company? how do you have growth? bob: good news is we have a lot ofof growth. i talked aut the orgrganizations struggling with the opportunities and risks. they need help. our growth rateses are very good. we are trying to get more people into the organization. we are growingng everyry year.

we recruit in the u u.s. about 14,000 kids off of campus each year. that is full-time and interns. it is about how to get the right skills and remain relevant. previously we may have been thought of as a tax fi. the reality is we broaden the skills to remain relevant. we are how to enhance trust in society, of financial information, and also any information between parties. that could be government and people, corporate and media, whatever.. then helping solve the important problems. those problems around education and health care. having the skills to deal with those societal needs is wt we are all about going forward. rebecca: on paper, what do you look for an applicant? do you want someonee competitive who did the best grade wise, did not do the best grade wise but took the most diversity of classes? what do you look for on paper? bob: on paper, i'm looking for

somebody who has operated within a team that can one day lead a team and be part of a team. i am looking that you have tried different things, taken risks can good enough that you have figured out how to navigate those risks and been successful on varioushings. i cannot predict your job today versus thrhree years from now because the world is moving so fast. i need people that do a lot of different things. rebecca: thanks for joinining us on "washinon business report." when we return, a big namis here to talk small

rebea: welcome back. itit is time for the small busiss spoight. we get advice from a big name in washingtonon.

and the webster group was created in 1995, it quickly became a powerful and respected rm in event planning. that is a key industry in washington. the webster group has beeeen such a big name for so long, we were surprised see the stunning growth this company is still exexpensing two decades later. named the list ofof the fastest-growg companies natiwide. joining us today to share the secrets growing a company started in her home basement and how even small business can put on events with a wow factor, founder the webster group lynda webste you u have been onon the show before. itas been a while. share with our audience your growth. how has company that has been big for two decades become one ofhe fastest-growing comnies in the past year? what is going on? lynda: washington is a great ace to do b business. the city has gotten more active. therere's a lolot more to do than there wa20 yeaears ago. we are excited to be part of it. rebecca: you want to. hear he been a bususy one for aa

long time. to h have the growth you are seeing, you say bring it on. you have bn a busy woman for a lolong time. lynda: i have smart, trained pepeople. when you have an economy of scale, y you can take e on more. we are glowing globabal. is more than washington. it is morere than washington. rebecca: everyone is wanting to haveve events. events have become part ofow you brand yourself as a company. what are the key ways any company can use an e event to brand emselves better? lynda:a: the most important thing i believe is to think through the purpe fothe event. why y am i doing it? often people will do an event anand not think through all the other things that could be accomplished during an event. first, you have to establish a real purpose and understand what it is. if it is a fundraiser, you do the event a certain way. if it is a government event, you do it a different way sometimes. corporate events have their own style.

and feel -- you have your own branding and feel. rebecca: we are showing some pictures. you have done corporate even government events, big productions. one of theconic events in washington, black tie and boots, the texas s inaugural ball. you have done them all. you clearly have a big budget for some of these events. tell us the secret to having a small budget but still wowing your audience. do you put your moy in flowers, a big name as a case -- key guest speaker? where do you put youroney? your - --lynda: you are showing pictures of a small buet event. it looks good because we used the gliding and a nice set. there are a lot of ways you can make an event look high dollar. rebecca: cherry dollar -- cherry blossom is a higprofile event.

nda: they have to raise every dollar they spend. they do it well. they do everytng on a budget. it does not look like a budget event. rebecca: two things any small business should bring to an event? lynda: c creativity, what makes thei brand stand out. what they say about themselves. in courts ni, but don't overdo it -- to core e -- decor is nice, but don't overdo it. you don't have to overdo it in this town. rebecca: lynda webster, we always like to learn from the bebest. thanks for joining us. whenen we return, the reresults s are in. 1400 c.e.o.'s interview on best,t, focus, and innovovation. we break down the single most in factor -- important factor in what c.e.o.'s are looking for an employee.

rebecca: welcome back. trends, busine challenges, issues shaping decision-making. c.e.o.'s have opinions on allll of that once a a yea pricewaterhousecoopers conducts a global c.e.o.o. survey. we went back to the source to get insight and analysis onhe survey this year with the head of peter b.c.'s -- u.s. p.w.c. u.s. operation. your survey is highly anticipated. he gets a big audience at davos. i missed my flight and i think many did. talk about some of the things that struck you most from this year's survey. bob: a few things came out in that survey.

we have been doing it 18 years. 1400 c.e.o.'s around the world to submit. theres a lesseriew on the strength of the economy on a global basis. u.s. c c.e.o.'s looking at the economy see a lot of risk on a glob basis. not a surprise when you think about volatility, emerging markets. the second thing is the strength of the u.s. economy. everyone around the world is saying the number one place to invest is the u.s. kit has overtaken china for the first time in five years. rebecca: what do you think changed? bob: china has slowed down. it has not come down that much. but the u.s. has risen a lot because of the sbility and resiliency of the u.s. economy. as bad as people think it is sometimes, there is a lot of upside. it is a beacon of light around the world. we have a great consumer base and worker base. those things are really attractive for foreign investment and where they want to sell goods.

last but not least, u.s. companies and the u.s. environment is very focused on technological changes that impact how you do business. the u.s. is a great test ground for what the rest of the world wants to do. that is a great opportunity for them to learn. rebecca: what struck me is this is the best of times, the worst of times. you have got 62% of your c.e.o.'s saying they seem worth growth -- more growth opportunity than three years ago. that is a phenomenal number. they also say it is a world that is volatile and unpredictable. what is the volatility and unpredictable they are most concerned about? bob: the big issue they are worried about is the competitive threat and inalityo react to the marketplace. the world is moving so fast. some companies see that mumuch different. the question i is whether they can capture it. on the downside, there is a lot of risk in playing in the global economy,y, playing with politics. social unrest as you look at europe and the middle east.

technology disruption is the biggest iss. everybody is trying g to refocus our game and how to remain relevant for thehe future. do we have to transform ourselves to be successful for the long-term? rebecca: the thing i like about technologyisruption is most c.e.o.'s see that as a great equalizer. everybody has got a chance to use technology to ove oake the next guy. you michael dell in the report saying nobody has a lock on this market. everyone will laugh and say michael dell would like to think so so that apple does not have a lock on the market. you see technology as as much of an equalizer as many.e.o.'s hope it will be? bob: i do. technology is disrupting everything.. it is disrupting how you interact with the consumumer. it is disrupting supply chains. itas an n impact everywhere. causes two things to happen.

one is c.e.o.'s have to be energetic about the change they need to drive. sesecond, they are tnking about hoto change my business. in my retail or a health care business? repositioning that thinkg in terms of your relevancy to society is what it is all ababout. rebecca: in years past companies were racing to the top to use technology behind the scenes in terms of how they did business. there was so much talk this year fr c.e.o.'s about how to betterse technoly in the front of the store so consers are using it. you gave the examplele of domino's and how you can ordrder online. with three i do it all the time. it struck me. that can backfir domino's is a perfect example. when i moved, there is a glitch. now they cthannot recognize my address online. i cacannot tell you how much it annoys me to have to call to

place an order. can it backfire to put such a premium that customer technonological experience? bob: i think it can if you don't have the right focus on the ultimate customer and keeping the customer experience consistent no matter if they momove orraveling. i think it can backfire if you don't have the right amount of talent to manage for that. that is one of the other things that came through in the survey. c.e.o.'s are worried about having the rightht talent. he goes to the technology point. how many people understand it ancan apply it to the customer or a supply chain or otherwise. having the right talent is key. having the focus on the customer expense, creating more revenue opportunities is great. the second big issue in technology is go more social media. ccyber risk is probably the biggest risk, but iis because the this is real but the preparedness is really low right now. the's a big gap right now between theat might

come to light. it is causing people to spend more money. it is causing people to get the right talent. talented people are at a premium right now. it is costly. you had better keep pace with the chchanges from around the world. rebecca: your c.e.o.'s are saying 92% of them are now using more ways to recruit and hire that include online and social mea. that means they are looking at people's facebook pages and twitter histories? bob: i think it is more to the aspect of they have got a presence in social media and are using social media to attract people to their place.e. a person coming off campus will look a you don't have anything on social media. why do i want to work with you? you don't get it. if they don't have that presence they will not start opening the door to get the kids to want to come to them. that is the first issue. the second issue is not so much an invasion of privacy issue. there is a lot of

information out there. it is how i connect better faster cheaper. now we use face-to-face plus an element of can i tweet with you can i connect with you and make that personal to you as a way to say this is an organization that gets it and wants you to com them. rebecca: w what is the biggest take away you saw in this year's report bob: the biggegest was the technology application. it has come up so fast and is so important and transfoational to the positive and negative. that is the issue people need to be focused on fromom the government and business perspective. rebecca: lots ofnfo from ts year's survey. we will be right back.

rebecca: thanknks for joining us. there are lots of wayays you can link up to us and share with others. we are "washington business report" on facebook and on twitter. you can always go to wjla.com. see you next week.k.

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