Every year, Vistage brings together some of the world’s most inspiring thinkers. Leaders who challenge us, stretch our perspectives and give us the tools to perform at our best.
From mastering mental resilience and tackling impostor syndrome to mastering inclusion, here are twelve insights from the past year we’ll be taking into 2026.
Former litigator and judge turned executive coach Emma Bell taught us true resilience is built not by dramatic life events, but in how we handle the small, everyday challenges that test us.
“Rather than looking towards your external environment or other people in your lives and waiting for them to change, be aware that there are things you can do immediately that will radically shape how you show up,” she explained.
Founder & CEO of Be World Class Group, coach and author, Simon Hartley, reminded us that world-class teams start with who we hire and how we develop them.
“The All Blacks have a saying that culture is collective character,” says Simon. “If we want to get our team’s culture right, we need to get its character right first. We need to make sure we get the right people in the first place.”
Dominic Keohane, founder of Innate Change, showed us that neurodiversity inclusion isn’t about applying broad labels or one-size-fits-all solutions. It’s about seeing each person’s needs, strengths and experiences as entirely individual.
“If someone is autistic, they’re the only person who will have their version of autism,” he explained. “Learn about the person in front of you and how you can best support them.
Talent Gateway Founder and recruitment expert Nici Jupp taught us that great hiring comes from thoughtful planning, a strong online presence, a seamless process, and helping new people perform quickly.
“You’re the product that candidates are buying,” she reminded us. “Businesses neglect that level of understanding that the online world is the same for you as a business as it is when you’re selling a product or service.”
Professional basketball player turned global speaker and trainer John Dabrowski introduced us to Steve Peters’ Chimp Paradox, a model that splits our brains into the rational human, the emotional chimp and the computer of learned habits.
“If you don’t have your work organised and there are too many things to look at, the chimp is unsettled and unhappy all day long, even when you’re sitting down in front of Netflix, trying to switch off,” he said. “By managing the chimp, you regain your evenings and weekends.”
Rob May, UK Ambassador for Cyber Security with the IoD and a Global Ambassador for the Global Council for Responsible AI, reminded us that cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, not just the IT team’s. Because cybercriminals don’t target companies, they target individuals.
“You’re not safe, because you employ people”, he stressed. “If somebody walks up to your front door and presses the buzzer, and someone invites them in, all of those defences you’ve put up are redundant.”
Leadership coach Bodhi Aldridge reminded us that impostor syndrome isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a hidden barrier even the most accomplished leaders quietly battle.
“Even when you know the industry better than anyone else, or even when you’ve done all the research, to feel confident and capable, you need to let go of the things that limit you,” he said.
Sarah Furness, RAF helicopter pilot and squadron leader turned mindfulness coach and cognitive therapist, taught us that our brains simply aren’t built for multitasking, and that something we think makes us more productive actually drains our time and energy in the long run.
“Not only are you doing less, you’re working harder to do less, which reduces output and increases stress,” she explained. “By taking a step back and defining your most important task, you can make sure that task is done to the best of your ability.”
Entrepreneur and motivational speaker Lorraine McDonnell taught us just how powerful our thoughts are in shaping reality. We always have a choice to reframe and push through, no matter how hard things feel.
“When we think we’re challenged to the max, we’re actually only at about 40% of what we can achieve,” she explained. “The limitations we feel are just perceptions and self-sabotaging beliefs.”
Brian Mayne, author and global speaker, introduced us to his powerful Goal Mapping system, which combines words and pictures to activate both sides of the brain and train the subconscious mind.
“Pictures stimulate the creative mind and subconscious mind, and while words stimulate the conscious mind”, he explained. “It works with business goals, but equally it works with personal goals and making lifestyle changes.”
Sara Davies MBE, founder and CEO of Crafter’s Companion, Dragon’s Den investor, and one of the UK’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, reminded us that running a business isn’t about perfection. It’s about resilience, humility, and learning to adapt when things don’t go to plan.
“You are the product of the people you surround yourself with,” she stressed.
British astronaut, author and STEM ambassador Tim Peake CMG transported us beyond Earth and shared a few extraordinary lessons from his time aboard the International Space Station.
Successful space missions are underpinned by three “Ps”, he said. The right plan, the right preparation, and the right people.
Our Vistage Climb webinars and events are your opportunity to learn directly from the smartest and most insightful people in the industry.
See what’s coming up in 2026.
Neuroscience, the study of the brain and nervous system, offers valuable insights into how leaders can rise to these challenges. By understanding the neuroscience of leadership, executives can enhance decision-making, manage emotions effectively, and create environments that foster engagement and innovation.
“It’s important to understand how your brain works and when it doesn’t work well for you in complex, stressful situations,” says Meg Poag, a Vistage speaker and CEO and founder of Mission Squared and the author of The Adversity Hack. “People tend to believe every thought they have and think they can’t control their brain, and that gets them into a lot of trouble. Once you understand the processes of your brain, you can manage your brain better, you can manage it better.”
It may seem intuitive that learning to manage your brain more effectively leads to more effective leadership. However, understanding the role of stress is equally important when studying the neuroscience of leadership.
“I dive into the science behind why people follow, and one big aha moment that I came up with is the connection between leadership and stress,” says Terry Wu, PhD, a neuroscientist, Vistage speaker and founder of Why The Brain Follows. “Often, we talk about stress in the context of health. You know, stress causes diabetes, headaches, hypertension, stomach ulcers, all these illnesses. But very rarely do we connect the thoughts between leadership and stress.”
Based on his pioneering research into the neuroscience of leadership, Wu has found that the easiest way to reduce stress is to give it to someone else. And leaders are in a position to transfer that stress to their team members because they have the power to do so.
“The stress occurs because we lack a sense of control, we lack predictability, we lack progress, we don’t have social support, and we don’t have outlets,” he says. “Why is a stressor so stressful? Because we lack what I call safety signals — a sense of control, predictability, progress, good outlets, and social support. So, when you look at a stressor, if you have these safety signals for that stressor, it will not cause you much stress.”
The brain is your central control center for decision-making, emotion and behavior. Different regions of the brain are responsible for different components. When leaders understand how the brain operates, they’re better equipped to lead more resilient companies where people want to be a part of the culture.
The prefrontal cortex, often referred to as the brain’s CEO, is responsible for judgment, abstract thinking, creativity, and decision-making. It’s the part of the brain that separates humans from other animals and enables leaders to plan, analyze and strategize.
“The frontal cortex is heavily involved in reason and logic,” Wu says. “Another very important part of the frontal cortex is emotional regulation.”
From a neuroscience perspective, leaders who develop their emotional intelligence are regulating their frontal cortex. In Wu’s work, this means recognizing when you’re under stress and intentionally finding ways to reduce it, thereby avoiding the stress from being passed on to someone else.
“That’s what emotional regulation is all about,” he says. “You don’t get angry at someone else, and you don’t blame yourself. You analyze the situation. When the frontal cortex goes offline, we do dumb things.”
Using the prefrontal cortex is an energy-intensive activity. Leaders must be intentional about using it. Critical thinking, forecasting and strategy require pushing past mental fatigue and into focused effort.
“Most of us are not even tapping into our prefrontal cortex 90% of our waking hours,” Poag explains. “Research shows that when someone is using their prefrontal cortex, their brain waves mirror someone being dumped into a tank of ice water and told to stay in as long as they can. It takes enormous energy — 300% more — than when your brain is in automatic thinking mode.”
When faced with a big decision, leaders must be intentional and move beyond comfort into discomfort and exhaustion to think critically, forecast the future, and make informed, judicious decisions in complex situations.
The amygdala is the emotional sentinel. It processes fear, threat and strong emotional responses, often before rational thought can catch up. That’s because it is responsible for unconscious memory, which the Cleveland Clinic describes as the type of memory that allows you to perform specific tasks without thinking about them.
“Our amygdala is like a powerful database,” says Poag. “When I’m faced with a situation I don’t like, it says, ‘Here’s how you’ve responded before.’ It doesn’t analyze or engage your prefrontal cortex. It just pushes you down the same path you’ve always taken.”
The problem is that this creates repetitive outcomes, often unhelpful in today’s complex business world. Worse, when emotions escalate, the amygdala can hijack the brain.
“The more emotional you become, the lower your IQ drops,” Poag notes. “When negative emotions build, the brain shuts down higher reasoning, and you end up functioning at the level of a four-year-old.”
When the amygdala becomes overactive, the brain can learn a new fear, Wu explains. It might be a fear of someone who is aggressive, looks different, or even a new product launch.
“When the amygdala is hyperactive, it leads to the state of anxiety,” Wu says. “We do things repetitively because we feel like we want to have more control. This impacts learning, which is closely tied to the brain structure known as the hippocampus. The hippocampus shrinks when people are under chronic stress, so if you don’t mitigate stress, you cannot learn new behavior patterns.”
Wu adds that the stress dynamic is related to the amount of cortisol and adrenaline in a person’s system and the skills or tactics to calm stress.
“Stress can be very contagious, and you can compound someone else’s stress,” he says.
This is why learning emotional intelligence (EQ) is now considered the most critical leadership skill. Leaders who manage emotional reactions remain rational and empathetic, even under stress.
“Research shows us the number one predictor of a leader’s success is going to be in their emotional intelligence, their skill level of emotional intelligence,” Poag says. “One of the biggest barriers I see in leaders’ emotional intelligence skills is poor self-management or poor regulation.”
Chances are, you’ve heard the cliché, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Research has shown that this is untrue. With support and practice, you can learn to change the way your brain is wired.
The brain’s tendency to default to familiar patterns can either help or hinder leadership. Poag uses the metaphor of covered wagons on the frontier: once grooves were carved in the trail, wagons followed them because it was easier. Neural pathways work the same way — repeated thoughts and behaviors become automatic.
“The neurons that fire together wire together,” Poag explains. “That makes it easy to survive, but problematic if your default reactions damage culture or results.”
Fortunately, neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire — means leaders can build new, healthier pathways. For example, a manager who defaults to micromanagement can rewire toward curiosity by practicing new beliefs and responses.
“You can rewire a path so that when someone makes a mistake, you approach it with curiosity instead,” Poag says. “Ask: what resources or tools haven’t I given them? What support did I miss?”
Continuous learning and coaching equip leaders with tools such as mindfulness, reframing, and affirmations to rewire unproductive patterns into constructive habits. Vistage focuses on lifelong learning and development, incorporating neuroscience principles to help leaders grow.
The human brain is adept at interpreting and recalling information about a person or a situation based on an individual’s pre-existing beliefs or values.
“There are over 200 ways our brain can distort things,” Poag says. “Everything you see is filtered through your biases.”
One of the most prevalent cognitive biases Poag sees among leaders is confirmation bias. Once a decision is made about a person or a situation, the brain filters out all contradictory evidence.
“You need to know what the biases might be,” Poag says. “Start learning about the tricks your brain plays on you, like confirmation bias or the fundamental attribution error, where you always assume that when someone does something that you don’t like, some unsavory behavior, you think it’s a flaw in their character, but when you do that same thing, it’s because of something that’s not your fault.”
Poag says that strategies to overcome them are to learn about different biases that exist, admit you’re following them, and proactively watch for them in your everyday thinking.”
However, Wu sees the cognitive biases differently — as a buzzword that doesn’t mean anything because you can know your biases but still behave the same way.
“A lot of people may disagree with me, but cognitive biases come from stress because under stress, we lose our capacity to slow down and think about the situation,” he says. “The stress response evolved to force us to think faster without looking at the whole problem. But when we’re in a relaxed mode, we can engage the frontal cortex, think about our options and bounce ideas off someone else, like other Vistage members or a Vistage Chair.”
It’s also important to seek out resources to become aware of your biases and develop strategies to mitigate them.
The correlation between stress and health conditions like heart conditions and diabetes is widely known. However, ongoing stress can also negatively impact the brain and, as a result, interfere with a leader’s ability to make sound decisions.
The brain can’t function under chronic stress. If you drew blood on someone whose nervous system is dysregulated, their body chemistry is different, according to Poag. When your nervous system is dysregulated like that, it’s much easier to fall into an emotional state where your amygdala hijacks the rest of your brain.
Chronic stress impairs brain function, particularly decision-making and can affect your memory.
“When leaders get stressed out, the frontal cortex goes offline, and people become impulsive and make decisions without thinking carefully,” Wu says. “Vistage plays a good role in allowing leaders to take a step back, talk to others who will help them think rather than plow through making one impulsive decision after another.”
Both Poag and Wu find stress relief in physical activities, such as biking and running. For others, activities such as reading a book, going fishing, or listening to music are enjoyable. Vistage’s CEO Health and Wellness Resource Center offers a wealth of resources to help leaders discover stress-reduction strategies, enabling them to perform more effectively in high-pressure situations.
“Get yourself distracted or spend time with family,” says Wu. “That and having social support. Loneliness is a huge stressor. We spend almost 24/7 interacting with screens, and our brains have not evolved to do that. It evolved to interact with human beings.”
Leaders can enhance their resilience through several brain-based techniques. But, Poag emphasizes that it’s important to understand the difference between resilience and grit, two terms she sees people use interchangeably.
“I think people confuse grit with resilience,” Poag explains. “Grit means you’re good at taking a lot of hits and being persistent. That’s not resilience.
Resilience is when there are huge obstacles in front of you and you’re able to stop, be conscious and intentional to figure out a way to overcome that obstacle quickly while maintaining positivity.”
One strategy Poag recommends for developing resiliency is to reflect on the type of leader you want to be and what would make you most proud.
“Think about your values and what kind of influence you want to have on people,” she says. “Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re influencing people right now. Being intentional and focusing on what we truly care deeply about is what fuels us through times of adversity.”
She also recommends resiliency-focused brain training approaches, such as identifying your insecurities and using affirmations, meditation, and trying new techniques like Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping, and the Insight Timer app to clients, which features resources on tapping if you’re really stressed out and other ways to activate your parasympathetic nervous system to release and de-escalate emotions.
“These are things we can do with our brain and nervous system that can calm us down so that we can access the smart part of our brain,” she adds. “That also keeps a healthy, regulated nervous system so that we’re not starting each day revved up.”
When leaders are in survival mode, creativity is impossible. The amygdala resists risk, clinging to old solutions, while the prefrontal cortex is where innovation happens. To access it, leaders must quiet emotional reactivity and create an environment that fosters curiosity.
“You can’t be creative when you’re focused on survival,” Poag explains. “Creativity is risky by nature. The brain resists anything new. Leaders have to calm the amygdala and lean into complexity to generate new ideas.”
Physiology matters too. Sleep, hydration, and oxygenation are essential for brain function. “I’ve worked with clients getting four hours of sleep a night,” Poag says. “You can’t expect new thinking when your brain is depleted. You’ve got to address the physiology of it in addition to your habits.
Leaders interested in nurturing creativity in their thinking and in their teams spend time understanding how the brain generates ideas. One factor in this process is the default mode network (DMN). Psychology Today explains the DMN as “a system of connected brain areas that show increased activity when a person is not focused on what is happening around them.”
Research has shown that when the brain is daydreaming or engaged in reflective, non-linear thinking, creativity increases. Ever notice how your best ideas come while you’re in the shower or taking a walk? Neuroscience reveals that when the mind has space to wander, it is more creative.
For leaders, recognizing this pattern is powerful. By alternating between focused attention and “mental downtime,” they can encourage breakthrough ideas. For example, one CEO in a Vistage group shifted her leadership team’s weekly problem-solving sessions outdoors into walking meetings.
The result? Discussions that had been stuck in a loop began producing new, actionable ideas simply because the environment supported the brain’s natural creative rhythms.
Physiologically, the brain needs psychological safety and collaboration to innovate. Leaders who micromanage their teams or allow tensions to build in the workplace, stifling creativity and innovation.
When individuals feel safe from judgment, the amygdala quiets down, allowing the prefrontal cortex to engage in higher-level thinking. Leaders can foster brain-friendly innovation by creating environments that encourage experimentation, refraining from mistakes as learning, and rewarding curiosity.
For example, consider restructuring team meetings so they finish with time for “what if” dialogue. This can offer employees a psychologically safe place to suggest unconventional solutions. Over time, the practice can help boost morale and reveal new processes, products or services.
The result is teams that not only feel empowered to innovate but also have the neurological conditions in place to generate bold, practical solutions that move organizations forward.
Being an effective leader who inspires teams is more than charisma or strategy. Leaders who understand how their brains work can regulate emotions, make better decisions, rewire unhelpful habits, and drive greater innovation in their organizations when they grasp the neuroscience of leadership.
Ready to start leveraging brain-based strategies for enhanced decision-making, emotional intelligence and team collaboration? Vistage membership provides access to unmatched brain-based coaching and advisory support, unlocking their leadership potential.
CEO Health and Wellness Resource Center
5 key tenets of decision-making for leaders & executives
Frequent changes in tariffs and trade rules continue to complicate budgeting, quoting, and long-term decision-making for small and midsize businesses. CEOs have cited project delays, paused capital spending, and customer hesitation — especially in construction, manufacturing, and export-dependent sectors.
Back in April, when the U.S. announced sweeping new tariffs — including a 10% baseline on nearly all imports and higher “reciprocal” duties on major trading partners — global business leaders were jolted. The abrupt shift in trade policy rattled the CEOs of small and midsize businesses, as evidenced by the cooling of CEO confidence in the Q2 2025 Vistage CEO Confidence Index, published in early July. At that time, 69% of CEOs reported that tariffs had negative impacts.
The question for CEOs was no longer simply “What’s coming next?” but “How do we adjust when the rules themselves can change overnight?” This has been a theme throughout the year, with different announcements, implementations, and delays. Small and midsize businesses have adapted, and CEO confidence crept up in September in the Q3 2025 Vistage CEO Confidence Index.
Despite rising confidence, tariffs continue to take a measurable toll on small and midsize businesses. This latest research shows that 71% of CEOs now report negative impacts; 35% report direct negative impact, while another 36% report indirect negative impacts. These adverse impacts include:
The majority of CEOs (62%) report rising operational costs, and nearly half (46%) are seeing reduced profitability as a direct result. Declining customer demand (37%) and shrinking revenues (33%) underscore the broader economic strain.
While tariff revenues may boost federal income, the burden is falling squarely on businesses through compressed margins and elevated input costs.
Among CEOs who have experienced increased costs, nearly two-thirds (64%) report increases of 4%-10%, while 10% report increases of 10% or more.
CEOs are responding decisively. Price adjustments are already widespread, as 43% have increased prices, and 51% plan to raise prices in the next three months.
Other cost-controlling actions employed by CEOs include:
Many CEOs who are dependent on supply chains are reevaluating their sourcing of materials and goods. Some companies are sourcing more materials domestically or relocating production to lower-tariff countries, such as Mexico or Australia. These options often increase costs but provide greater predictability. Domestic producers, meanwhile, may find new competitive advantages as international prices rise.
This analysis was conducted on data collected before the latest tariff announcement, which came in late September. It included a 25% duty on imported heavy trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, and even up to 100% on branded or patented pharmaceutical products unless they were manufactured in the U.S. The move unleashed another wave of uncertainty, which will be measured in our Q4 survey.
Tariffs show no signs of being a short-term disruption. Their continued presence is driving organizations toward shorter planning horizons and more frequent operational adjustments. In this environment, strategic planning, combined with the agility to adapt quickly, is now essential for navigating ongoing uncertainty and protecting profitability.
“While we do not currently believe stagflation is present, we are closely monitoring rising input costs driven by wages, energy, commodities, and tariffs. Small and midsize businesses should strive to avoid ‘profitless prosperity’ where growth occurs at the expense of margins,” says Saidel-Baker, a Sr. Economist at ITR. “Tariff effects will take time to appear in consumer prices, but businesses already feel the impact through higher costs and margin pressure. As businesses plan for 2026, they should focus on fundamentals: filtering headlines, protecting margins, and building resilience.”
As the new year approaches, CEOs should focus on strategic, data-informed decision-making.
CEO Confidence Remains ‘In Neutral’ [Q3 Vistage CEO Index]
Following the high of the 2024 election, the introduction of tariffs has deflated the optimism of CEOs of small and midsize businesses. Our latest research reveals that nearly 70% of CEOs expect negative impacts of changing tariff and trade policies, a major driver of increasing economic pessimism among CEOs. While the tariff playbook has not changed, the uncertainty about when, where and how these changes will impact makes planning challenging. The issue at hand may be tariffs, but the problem is uncertainty.
This resource center collects insights on tariffs, bringing together expert and peer perspectives to help you navigate decisions amid these changing policies, mitigate risk, and plan effectively. Here’s the latest from Vistage Research on the impact of tariffs heading into 2026.
To help with decision-making, we have curated:
Tariffs and Trade Remain a Top CEO Challenge Heading into 2026
Explore the impact of tariffs on the global economy and gain the insights you’ll need to protect profitability and agility in an unpredictable trade environment.
AI Adoption Surges Amid Economic Uncertainty: What You Need to Know
Economic downturns are accelerating technology adoption. Explore how today’s tariff uncertainty is driving AI adoption by CEOs and leaders.
Small Business Confidence Rises; Costs, Tariffs Bite Margins
The May WSJ/Vistage Small Business index rose slightly, but uncertainty still looms, affecting demand, investments and hiring plans.
Why Tariffs Are a Pricing Strategy Problem
Vistage Chief Research Officer Joe Galvin explains how tariffs drive uncertainty, forcing CEOs to rethink pricing, supply chains and investments amid rising costs, inflation and market instability.
Volatility and Uncertainty Erode Confidence
The April WSJ/Vistage Small Business index dropped to 69.7, revealing that 57% of CEOs expect a declining economy over the next 12 months as they prepare for more volatility and uncertainty. Read more in our report.
Developing Pricing Strategies while Navigating Uncertain Times
Iris Pricing Solutions President Kirk Jackisch shares his insights into managing pricing strategies amid inflation, tariffs, stagflation and other economic concerns.
Handling Tariff Turbulence: Strategies for Stability Amid Uncertainty
Boost Profits President Casey Brown delves into the recent tariffs and shares insights on how SMB CEOs can adjust prices to stabilize profits.
Tariffs Continue to Erode Small Business Confidence
The March WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index dropped to 85.4 as concerns over tariffs and economic uncertainty continue to rattle confidence.
More Practical Steps to Take as Tariffs Are Implemented
Some tariffs are currently in place, with more expected soon. The situation is changing as U.S. policy develops and trade negotiations unfold. ITR Economics offers strategies for positioning your business in this tariff environment.
Tariff Risk Assessment Tool
Our partners at TEC Canada have developed this exercise to help you systematically assess key risks, focus on high-priority issues and make informed decisions in the wake of changing tariffs and trade policy.
TEC Canada: Tariffs and Trade Policy Resources
Gain industry-leading insights and the latest resources for Canadian SMB CEOs and leaders navigating the recent tariff and trade policy changes.
5 Priorities to Manage During a Crisis
Whether the Dow drops by 1,000 points or a work stoppage severely impacts your supply chain, it is crucial to accept the situation and take action. Vistage speaker Corrine Hancock outlines 5 key crisis-management priorities for CEOs.
Daily Guide for Leaders During a Crisis
Vistage CEO Sam Reese explores 6 crisis management principles, inspired by his experiences and discussions with successful business leaders, that could help you steer your organization through tough times.
Tangling with Tariffs in 2025: CEOs Share Their Strategies
As new policies emerge, 3 Vistage CEO members share their insights on overcoming past challenges. Discover their strategies and how they built resilience in their operations.
Inside One CEO’s Impossible Mission to Stay Ahead of Tariffs
Learn how member company Tormach and its CEO, Daniel Rogge, are slicing spending and raising prices to blunt the damage of a potential trade war in this piece from The Wall Street Journal.
Have a question? Need a recommendation? Want a referral? Ask your peers in My Vistage Networks or join an existing discussion. [My Vistage password required]
Find conversations about tariffs taking place across ALL Vistage Networks.
Here are some of the most relevant conversations:
The Economy Seems Uncertain. Here’s Why Entrepreneurs Remain Optimistic [Inc.]
The Cost of Certainty: Navigating Universal Tariffs from the Finance Seat [Forbes]
How Tariffs Are Playing Out So Far [HBR]
Stories on Tariffs from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Q4 2024 Vistage CEO Confidence Index
While economic sentiment remains dim among small business leaders, prospects and plans for their businesses have gained new momentum. Despite rising costs and the government shutdown, the WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index rose to 90.2, driven by an increased optimism in revenue and profit expectations.
While the environment may not be booming, it is steadier and aligns with forecasts for accelerating growth in the year ahead. That said, the snag remains that an increasing number of small business leaders believe the economy has definitively worsened compared to 12 months ago (51%), a return to pessimism seen earlier this year when tariffs were confounding them.
The data reveals a growing divide in sentiment as small business leaders separate the current economic climate from the realities they face in their businesses. Leaders are making decisions rooted in realism — with growth expectations tempered by costs and pricing constraints.
One of the realities that small businesses continue to face is rising costs. The vast majority, 91% of small business leaders, report some level of inflationary impact. While this is not new, clear themes emerged from specific impacts reported in the survey:
As noted, many small business leaders are adjusting their prices to preserve margins. Other efforts include streamlining operations and delaying non-essential investments. Others are absorbing costs to retain market share, with some concerned that additional price increases could further harm demand.
As they work toward finishing the year strong while focusing on the year ahead, leaders should ask themselves these key questions:
The November WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index was calculated from an online survey sent to CEOs and other key leaders who are active U.S. Vistage members. The survey, conducted between November 3 and 11, 2025, collected data from 382 respondents with annual revenues ranging from $1 million to $20 million. The Index is calculated based on favorable minus unfavorable responses from this set of standard questions, plus 100, anchored to June 2012 = 100.
To explore the full November 2025 WSJ/Vistage Small Business data set, visit our data center or download the infographic.
The December 2025 WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index will be calculated from responses to the Q4 Vistage CEO Confidence Index survey, conducted from December 1 to 15, 2025, among small businesses with $1-20 million in annual revenue.
As CEOs plan for 2026, uncertainty and rapid change can make it easy to get stuck in incremental thinking. From persistent economic volatility to shifting workforce expectations and the acceleration of AI adoption, many business leaders are defaulting to caution. CEOs tend to play it safe and can be hesitant to make big moves. Caution is understandable; the past few years have been unpredictable. However, that mindset can be dangerous. Incremental progress might feel secure, but it rarely leads to real growth. Now is the time to think big — to revisit the long-term vision and ensure every part of the strategy supports it.
Below are 5 strategic planning priorities for best-in-class leaders as they map out 2026 and beyond:
Right now, many leaders are frozen by uncertainty. They’re so focused on surviving the next quarter that they’ve lost sight of the bigger picture. Hitting a few short-term targets might feel like progress, but focusing solely on the short term could come at the expense of long-term success.
Incremental thinking can quietly stall growth. When leaders lower their expectations or assume the next year will be a “reset” period, they stop challenging their teams to innovate. Employees pick up on that mindset immediately. If leaders tell their team it’s going to be a tough year, they’ll take that as permission to play it safe.
The best leaders keep their long-term vision front and center, even in uncertain times. These long-term goals drive every decision.
One of the biggest mistakes I see leaders make is tinkering with trends without a clear strategy. Take AI, for example. Some companies are experimenting with tools and calling it a strategy. But the most successful CEOs develop a clear plan for how AI fits into their business, enhances their operations, and strengthens their value proposition. Otherwise, AI becomes a distraction rather than a driver of growth.
The same principle applies to workforce strategy. Hybrid and flexible work arrangements are here to stay. According to our recent Vistage research, CEOs are increasingly settling into stable workplace models: 43% report a hybrid workforce, 45% are fully onsite, and 8% are fully remote. Retention now depends on giving workers choice and autonomy. In many industries, leaders are adapting how they communicate, manage, and engage teams to make flexibility work without sacrificing alignment or culture.
Supply chains and geopolitics are another critical area where leaders can’t afford to be reactive. Businesses with connections to global supply chains are proactively planning to manage tariffs, regulations, and potential disruptions. Waiting until a problem hits is too late. Strategic leaders anticipate these risks and build their plans around them, rather than hoping for their preferred outcome.
Leaders may assume their teams understand their organization’s mission, vision, and values because they shared them at a past employee meeting. In reality, people forget. They get caught up in day-to-day tasks and lose sight of why the work matters. Especially in hybrid or decentralized work environments, effective communication is constant, clear, and specific.
And, great leadership isn’t just about talking. It’s about listening and empowering others. The people closest to the frontline often have the best ideas. Great leaders encourage them to speak up, take ownership, and contribute solutions.
Ambition is essential, but so is focus. Great leaders filter every decision and new initiative through the lens of their core business purpose. They ask: “Does this move us closer to being the very best at what we do?” If the answer is no, then it’s a distraction.
Focused investment may mean saying “no” as often as “yes.” Growth doesn’t come from piling on more initiatives. It comes from concentrating energy, resources, and attention on the few things that truly drive value.
One common pitfall in strategic planning is focusing on too many metrics. When everything feels important, nothing really is. Successful leaders identify the single key success metric that drives their business forward. This metric helps track whether a company is fulfilling its purpose and moving the organization in the right direction.
Once that metric is defined, dashboards, reports, and meetings are simplified. Too often, teams get bogged down in secondary metrics that create noise but don’t drive impact. In effective organizations, every initiative, KPI, and project supports the primary goal.
If there’s one piece of advice I would give CEOs planning for 2026, it’s this: Lead the strategic planning process. Great leaders don’t delegate strategy to someone else or treat it like a box to check. They know they need to be in the room, asking the tough questions, shaping the direction, and ensuring the team is aligned with the vision. And they are disciplined about where they invest their time, energy, and resources. The companies that succeed will be the ones that combine bold vision with relentless focus, clear priorities, and leadership that actively guides the path forward.
This story first appeared in Entrepreneur.
Business Trends for 2026 and Beyond: An Executive Summary
How Leaders Can Improve Their Strategic Planning Process
Vistage events bring together the most influential and accomplished business leaders in the region, offering a rare platform for learning, inspiration, and connection.
CEO Connect 2025 exemplified this, combining world-class keynote speakers with practical breakout sessions designed to accelerate leadership growth, resilience, and organisational performance.
Attendees left with fresh ideas, renewed motivation, and actionable insights to strengthen their leadership and drive meaningful results in their organisations.
Here are just some of the insightful key takeaways from the event.
In recognition of World Mental Health Day, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Lorraine McDonnell explored the real-world tools and techniques leaders can use to harness mental resilience and perform at their best. Even when the stakes are high.
“The quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life,” she reminded the audience. We always have a choice.
Her message was both simple and profound: mental strength begins with self-awareness, and true leadership starts from within.
She finished with a call to action: “Don’t keep your dreams a secret,” she urged. “Your dreams need to be so big they scare you.”
Lorraine challenged every leader in the room to own their ambitions out loud and keep pushing towards them, especially when they feel daunting. Because when we choose courage over comfort, extraordinary things happen.
Sara Davies MBE, founder and CEO of Crafter’s Companion and one of the UK’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, pulled no punches about the realities of leadership, running a growing business, and dealing with the inevitable setbacks.
From managing cash flow and navigating investor relationships to building culture and protecting the values that define success.
“You are the product of the people you surround yourself with,” she stressed.
Sara reminded us that leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about resilience, humility, and learning to adapt when things don’t go to plan. She spoke openly about the importance of empathy, gratitude, and staying grounded, even at the height of achievement.
It was a refreshingly human take on entrepreneurship. One that celebrated vulnerability, authenticity, and the power of staying true to yourself through every stage of growth.
Tim Peake CMG, British astronaut, author, and STEM ambassador, transported the audience beyond Earth, sharing extraordinary lessons from his time aboard the International Space Station.
Through vivid storytelling and quiet humour, Tim illustrated how the principles of space exploration mirror the challenges faced by leaders back on Earth. His “Three Ps” framework (People, Preparation, and Planning) offered a practical guide for leading under pressure.
Tim shared how NASA’s mission culture is built on selecting the right people, communicating continuously, and balancing discipline with empowerment. The takeaway for business leaders was clear: success depends not on control, but on clarity, trust, and shared purpose.
Despite his extraordinary achievements, Tim’s humility shone through. “Space was amazing,” he laughed, “but parenthood is ten times better.”
It was an inspiring finale. And a reminder that whether you’re leading a company or commanding a spacecraft, greatness begins with people, preparation, and perspective.
Lasting growth begins with disciplined financial foundations
Leading UK investment bank Cavendish reminded the audience that, if you want lasting growth, you need to master your numbers before chasing your next milestone.
Because sustainable profit and long-term value aren’t accidents, they’re the result of disciplined financial habits and intentional planning.
AI unlocks smarter scaling without adding headcount
Lindsay Jessup, CEO of AI software development company Geeks, stressed that if you’re struggling to scale, you should let AI handle what your people shouldn’t have to.
Freeing teams from repetitive work unlocks capacity, improves customer experience, and can drive up to 8x ROI within a year.
Strong teams start with aligned, self-aware leadership
In an interactive, insight-driven session, Omni’s experts reminded the audience that every organisation has blind spots. But the strongest leaders are the ones willing to find and fix them together.
Building leadership strength, enhancing trust, and driving equity value through alignment at the top is key.
Level up your leadership. Explore upcoming Vistage events and join the conversations that move your business forward.
Head to our events page to see what’s coming up.
Looking ahead to the next decade, one thing is increasingly clear: the organizations that thrive will be those that cultivate digital engagement, not just digital adoption. While technology continues to advance at unprecedented speed, it’s the human factors surrounding it — curiosity, adaptability, and comfort with experimentation — that will determine which companies unlock productivity gains and which fall behind.
Generative AI is moving fast, reshaping how work gets done and redefining what’s possible for small and midsize businesses. But despite its astonishing capabilities, humans will determine its speed, impact and ultimate value. And today’s digitally engaged workers will be the ones who push their organizations into the future.
Long before AI entered the workplace, employee engagement was already one of the strongest predictors of retention, productivity, and performance. Engaged workers show lower absenteeism and turnover, fewer quality defects, and higher customer satisfaction, sales, and profitability. They bring discretionary effort — the willingness to go above and beyond because they feel connected to the mission, valued by their leaders, and motivated to grow.
Engagement is not the same as happiness or job satisfaction. It’s the emotional commitment employees feel toward their organization’s goals, a more profound connection that fuels collaboration, problem-solving, and resilience in an ever-changing environment.
But the latest data reveals a troubling trend: U.S. employee engagement remains stuck at 32%, with 17% actively disengaged. Two-thirds of employees are “not engaged,” and younger workers are particularly detached, with Gen Z engagement sliding by 5 points over the past year.
For CEOs, this moves beyond a cultural challenge; it’s a productivity crisis. Disengaged employees drag down performance, undercut team dynamics, and slow the pace of change at a moment when organizations can least afford it.
The good news is that CEOs understand the problem and are acting on it. According to the latest Vistage research, CEOs are reinvesting in the cultural drivers that matter most:
These priorities reflect a deeper understanding: engagement starts with trust. And trust is built through communication, recognition, development, and strong middle-management leadership. When managers are engaged, accountable, and aligned, teams follow. When they’re disengaged, they become, as one Vistage Chair put it, “engagement killers.”
But as critical as these traditional engagement drivers are, they now represent only part of the picture. To maximize the potential of Gen AI, organizations need a new layer of engagement.
A digital one.
Accelerate your productivity and reshape your workforce. Get the report: Digital Engagement: A Predictor of Productivity.
In the AI era, digitally engaged workers — those who embrace new tools, learn quickly, and experiment openly — will drive the next frontier of productivity.
These aren’t technologists. They’re curious, adaptable knowledge workers who see Gen AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity. In our research, digitally engaged employees demonstrate distinct characteristics:
Disengaged workers behave very differently. They resist new technologies, rely only on simple prompts, and wait for someone else to define best practices for them. In a world being reshaped by AI, these employees will struggle to keep up.
Ultimately, digital engagement is the catalyst that turns Gen AI from a productivity enhancer into a productivity accelerant.
To realize the full potential of Gen AI, CEOs must go beyond adoption. They must cultivate curiosity, the defining attribute that fuels digital engagement. The report is clear: “Digital engagement will become the defining attribute of the best and most desired workers.”
Forward-thinking CEOs will:
Every future workplace will require these workers. All others, including those who resist change or cling to traditional workflows, will eventually be culled from the workforce.
The mandate is clear: Invest heavily in developing digitally engaged workers today, retain them for tomorrow, and hire others like them every day. To do anything less is to get left behind.
Download the full report, Digital Engagement: A Predictor of Productivity, to explore the data, frameworks, and expert perspectives shaping the “Workplace 2030” vision. It’s your roadmap to leading in the AI-driven decade ahead.
Los Angeles business leaders face complex challenges that require strategic peer input to navigate successfully. From managing growth in competitive markets to handling the isolation that comes with executive decision-making, CEOs need trusted advisors who understand the stakes involved in high-level leadership roles.
This guide examines the premier peer advisory options available to LA-area business leaders, with particular focus on Vistage’s established groups throughout the region. You’ll discover specific group structures, member demographics and the strategic advantages that peer advisory provides in Los Angeles’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“When I joined Vistage, our business was just coming into its own. Since then, I’ve learned how to better run meetings, ask better questions, and we implemented new processes that have resulted in our business growing 55% in the past 4 years. Being in Vistage is like taking a PhD for business owners.”
—Nils H. Rasmussen, CEO, Solver USA
Here’s what you’ll learn about peer advisory groups in Los Angeles:
Strategic isolation presents one of the most significant challenges facing today’s business leaders. As the final decision-maker, you need more than advice from internal advisors or business coaches who lack executive experience.
Solo coaching gives you one expert’s viewpoint. Your Vistage peer advisory group gives you 12-16 different approaches to the same challenge. These leaders help you see patterns and possibilities that only emerge when diverse experience converges on your specific situation.
Consider the CEO facing a potential acquisition. A consultant might provide due diligence frameworks. An executive coach might help with decision-making confidence. But your peer group includes executives who’ve acquired companies, been acquired, walked away from deals, and lived with the consequences of each choice.
Vistage members consistently outperform during economic downturns, industry disruptions, and market uncertainty. During the 2008 recession, member companies demonstrated 5.8% growth while nonmember companies declined 9.2% over the same period.
More recent data shows Vistage CEO members grew their annual revenue by 4.6% in 2020, while comparable nonmember businesses saw a revenue decrease of 4.7%. Member companies also stay in business 21+ years on average, while most businesses fail within 5 years, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Vistage operates multiple peer advisory groups throughout the Los Angeles area, each led by accomplished Chairs with extensive CEO experience. For more than 65 years, Vistage has been helping CEOs solve their greatest challenges through confidential peer groups and one-to-one executive coaching sessions.
| Group Structure and Membership Criteria | Vistage Los Angeles groups consist of 12-16 CEOs from non-competing industries, all leading companies with $5M+ annual revenue. Monthly full-day sessions combine confidential peer advisory with expert speaker presentations and individual coaching, using a proprietary issue-processing methodology. |
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| Professional Chair Facilitation | Every Vistage group operates under professional Chair facilitation. Chairs are former CEOs with real-world executive experience who guide discussions using proven frameworks. When you’re facing a decision that could reshape your business, you get guidance from someone who can spot blind spots you might miss. |
| Confidentiality Protocols | The non-competing membership structure creates environments where CEOs can discuss sensitive strategic issues openly. Vistage groups operate under strict confidentiality agreements that enable honest examination of strategic vulnerabilities and breakthrough thinking. |
Brian Oken Chairs 2 Vistage CEO groups in the Los Angeles area, bringing more than 20 years of CEO experience, plus 17 years as a Vistage member before becoming a Chair. The groups he Chairs focus on CEOs who want to make great decisions, test ideas and overcome obstacles.
Bonita Inza launched her Los Angeles Chief Executive (CE) group in 2021, bringing 30 years of executive leadership experience from respected global brands including Lacoste, T-Mobile, Bath & Body Works, Vera Bradley and Williams-Sonoma. Her background includes P&L responsibility ranging from $1M to $7B in revenue and leadership of teams exceeding 10,000 employees.
Fred Carpenter operates 3 Vistage groups in Los Angeles, including two Chief Executive groups launched within 36 months. He brings more than 25 years of C-level executive experience across real estate, technology, financial, and educational businesses, including startup launches, acquisitions, and companies experiencing turnaround opportunities. His 20-year membership in Vistage, prior to becoming a Chair, provides a member’s perspective on the peer advisory process.
Dr. Maryam Malek has been a senior executive with IBM, Xerox, and Gallup, collaborating with CEOs and Fortune 500 companies globally to set strategic direction and develop leadership. She is the founder of Corporate Development Consulting and Center for Applied Emotional Intelligence in Southern California, working with organizations globally to improve leadership effectiveness, strategic planning and employee effectiveness. Dr. Malek is also a professor of Organizational Leadership and MBA programs at Pepperdine and Chapman universities in Southern California.
| Element | Description | Member Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Session Structure | Full-day sessions are held once a month, designed to maximize strategic value while respecting time commitments. | Dedicated space for reflection, planning and problem-solving. |
| Issue Processing | Members present real challenges and receive unfiltered peer feedback using Vistage’s proprietary framework. | Keeps discussions focused, productive and actionable. |
| Expert Speakers | High-caliber speakers address current business, leadership and personal development topics. | Sparks innovative thinking and introduces proven strategies. |
| Individual Coaching integration | Monthly one-on-one sessions with Chairs that complement group insights. | Personalized leadership development, goal tracking and targeted support. |
| Accountability Framework | Members commit to actions in front of other CEOs and business leaders. | This approach creates accountability deeper than traditional coaching, since peers understand the real stakes of leadership decisions. |
COO, Enhance Therapies | Member since 2023 | Impact Award
Alex Cohen expanded Enhance Therapies from 1,800 clinicians to nearly 8,000, implementing technology solutions that save the company $1.75 million annually. At 35, he’s already reshaping one of the nation’s largest therapy providers.
President & CEO, Maintco Corp. | Member since 2017 | Leadership Award
From concert pianist to CEO, Inna has grown Maintco Corp. 100% in the last decade, serving Fortune 500 clients while sustaining a near-zero turnover, people-first culture.
CEO, SK Food Brands | Member since 1998 | Lifetime Achievement Award
With 42 years in the seafood industry, Mark led SK Food Brands through cost-cutting offshore operations and a 2024 rebrand that fueled 200% revenue growth.
President & CEO, ForensisGroup Inc. | Member since 2000 | Legacy Award
Mercy built ForensisGroup into a top 100 minority- and women-owned business in LA, serving 30,000 cases. Her Force for Good™ initiative has planted 7,000 trees and awarded 100 scholarships as she transitions leadership to the next generation.
When you commit to action in front of other CEOs, accountability runs deeper than in traditional coaching. These leaders understand what’s truly at stake, which drives execution and measurable results.
| Professional Development at Your Level |
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Vistage isn’t for everyone — and that’s by design. We work exclusively with CEOs and senior executives who’ve moved beyond survival mode and are committed to strategic growth. If you’re leading a $5M+ company in the Los Angeles area and ready for the accountability that drives measurable results, this is where strategic leadership development begins.
With 45,000 members across 40 countries and 65+ years of proven methodology, Vistage remains the world’s most trusted peer advisory network for growth-minded executives. Los Angeles benefits from multiple experienced Chairs leading established groups throughout the region.
Ready to see if Vistage is right for you and your business?
Schedule your group visit to experience how professional peer advisory works before making any commitment. Most CEOs know within the first meeting whether this is the strategic partnership they’ve been looking for.
Each day, Shaun Tomson makes the choice to practice resilient leadership. This practice began in 1975 during a surfing competition at Waimea Bay in Hawaii, long before Tomson ever consulted with a business or spoke to a Vistage group.
At the time, Tomson says that waves at Waimea Bay were surfing’s equivalent of Mount Everest, the pinnacle of big-wave riding. Then, a professional surfer, Tomson felt awe at the size of the waves — watching the water fall from them was like watching buildings crumble.
When it was Tomson’s turn, he rode an enormous wave but wiped out, was dragged under the water, and nearly drowned in a riptide. He knew that no help would arrive, as competitions in that era had no rescue team and no lifeguards. It was just him and his board alone in the water.
Tomson struggled back to his board, land within sight, and saw that he had an existential choice to make. If he went back to shore, he’d surely lose the competition. If he paddled back out to catch another wave, he had a chance to win.
At that moment, Tomson chose to paddle back out and catch another wave, a choice that he’s stuck with since that day.
He didn’t win the competition, but he learned that being resilient means having hope, being committed to your purpose, and taking actions that reflect that hope and purpose. And that’s what he teaches the executives and leaders across the country.
“Resilience is a committed intention,” says Tomson, a Vistage speaker and author of several books, including The Code: The Power of I Will. “By paddling back out, I’m going to get the next wave. It’s an apt metaphor for anyone in business. When things collapse, and they will, what are you going to do? Are you going to paddle in or are you going to paddle back out. It’s a simple, fundamental choice.”
Even through the death of a child, which Tomson experienced in 2006, he and his wife made the choice to continue paddling back out, knowing that the sun will rise again tomorrow. Life isn’t always fair, but it always gives leaders the chance to practice resilience, beyond “bouncing back” and toward growing through adversity.
As Bob Day testified before the Portland City Council, he felt his heart racing. He looked at his Apple Watch and saw that his heart rate was 120 beats per minute, far above his resting rate.
Day, a Visage speaker, owner and CEO of Reluctant Change and chief of the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon, says that it was a contentious meeting, but it was completely nonviolent.
No one was shooting at him; he wasn’t in trouble. His body was simply having a fight-or-flight response, made to help him escape trouble, something that any leader practicing resilience must grow accustomed to feeling.
After the meeting, Day calmed down. He assessed the situation and messaged the members of the Council with whom he disagreed, inviting them to discuss the issue further. All responded positively, and Day was happy to practice resilient leadership right after a hard moment.
For Day, practicing resilient leadership is about being able to move forward in the face of adversity. Sometimes, that means assessing the situation and ensuring people are safe and protected before moving forward. Sometimes, as with the City Council, it means staying calm through a stressful situation before continuing to resolve it.
However, resilient leadership always means embracing the moment, learning from it, and working to resolve any lingering issues, while maintaining faith that you will prevail.
Like Tomson, Day also believes that resilience always means being able to persevere and continue without abandoning hope. Day compares resilient leadership to the Stockdale Paradox, a term coined by author Jim Collins to describe Admiral James Stockdale’s experience as a prisoner of war.
According to the Stockdale Paradox, one must confront the brutal facts of current reality while maintaining an unwavering faith that they will prevail.
To be effectively resilient through the most challenging times, Day also believes that leaders must have a vision and purpose in addition to their hope. Like Tomson, Day and his wife also lost a child and worked hard to never abandon hope and a vision for what they want their lives to be, even when life felt bleak.
“Hope gave us something to shoot for but also challenged us to keep striving towards our purpose,” Day says, citing their ability to stay together as a couple and continue for their daughter.
Business leaders often dismiss hope as inactive or weak, Day says, but he believes that hope is something active, something leaders can practice each day.
“Hope is moving towards a goal,” Day says. “Living with hope, with a goal in mind of where we’re going to move towards, is better than sitting around and waiting to be overcome by the next event. Leaders are dealers in hope.”
Learning resilient leadership is less about gaining new knowledge and more about changing one’s mindset, Tomson says. Resilience reflects choosing between quitting and growing in the face of problems.
“You’ve got to be imbued with a sense of hope, and you have to have a committed purpose,” Tomson says. “That’s what resilience is to me.”
To find a purpose, Tomson instructs attendees of his talks to take out a sheet of paper, write “I will” 12 times, and then spend 15 minutes listing the things they will do. He calls this writing their “Code,” and says it helps give people a sense of purpose by showing them the things inside themselves that they want to be doing.
The lines may read “I will volunteer,” “I will lead by example,” or “I will be a light in the darkness.” But whatever is written across those 12 lines, Tomson says that these committed statements — especially when read aloud in front of a peer group or team — are a powerful way to find one’s own Code while creating accountability and unity for a team.
“The CEO can tell their stories, their codes, and get their team to share their own codes,” Tomson says. “Any CEO can do it, and it has a terrific impact on an organization. When you look at your own words, your own vision, they give you energy and power, they give you commitment.”
One way to multiply the impact of this exercise, Tomson says, is for the executive to find a personal story that tells the tale of resilience. Tomson tells the story of paddling back out, and one can feel the hope and purpose behind his resilience. Business leaders can do the same for themselves and those whom they lead.
“Any leader can find a story that relates to this concept of a loss or failure, and what the reaction was to that failure,” Tomson says. “The simple story arc of how the hero overcame the failure, and ultimately what he learned from the failure. Achieving success through failure and learning to become a better human being is a powerful story.”
Research by Stanford professor Jennifer Anker has revealed that stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. Stories are a simple and powerful way to inspire and unify teams.
Another way to foster this mindset change is by joining a like-minded group of leaders. Humans are tribal by nature, Day says, but leaders tend to feel isolated. By joining a group of like-minded, resilient leaders, such as Vistage, Day says that executives can draw strength from one another.
“We allow ourselves to tell each other stories to make sense of what we’re facing,” Day says. “We need to be in community, because we need that support network and those relationships to make sense of what’s happening.”
Beyond what happens at work, practicing resilient leadership comes in all phases of life. Leaders must take care of their physical health with exercise, their social health with personal connections, their emotional health by becoming aware of how they feel, and their mental resilience by reducing stress and practicing mindfulness.
Find ways to build and support your physical, social and emotional well-being.
Visit the Vistage CEO Health & Wellness Resource Center.
A focus on health adds to one’s purpose of being resilient, something of a spiritual practice itself, Tomon says. When that purpose is strong enough, it can feed the entire company and its customers.
“For me, the purpose is the new profit in business,” Tomson says. “When a customer wants to buy a product, he wants to be a part of a purposeful company, and not a company that’s out there just for profit, sales and growth. What is the company doing socially? What is the company doing environmentally? There has to be a sort of a reason for being beyond enriching the shareholders.”
In his work as police chief, and even as a Vistage speaker, Day has seen that leaders are often willing to be transparent but often lose vulnerability with their teams in tough moments. Vulnerability, he believes, is a key trait of resilient leadership, one that will help foster a resilient organization.
The key difference between vulnerability and transparency is emotional honesty. In transparency, Day says that leaders may tell the team what’s happening, how they’re going to solve an issue, and what each employee should do.
With vulnerability, leaders show that they don’t have it all figured out — they may tell the team it will be difficult, that the result is not guaranteed, and that finding the solution could be a struggle. Vulnerable leaders refuse to sugarcoat the details.
“I’ve been out on scenes that I know are going to upset our community, and I’ve had advisors say, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t say this,’” Day says. “But I’m going to say it all. I’d rather be the one to lead this conversation and to give people hope.”
When leaders express vulnerability and transparency, Day says they must also have a plan. It’s the leader’s job to have an opinion on what to do, and the team expects that. Leaders are sometimes afraid to show their vulnerability, even with a plan, but Day says that he draws strength from his vulnerability, and so does his team.
“Nobody roots for somebody who appears to be perfect or unfazed by what’s happening,” Day says. “It doesn’t mean that I go into roll call and cry every day. But there’s a level of strength and confidence that comes from demonstrating your humanity. That ties directly into being a resilient leader.”
Engagement and connection with employees are also essential to ensure that the entire company becomes more resilient, Day says. People in the workforce want to know that you have their back.
In his job as police chief, Day doesn’t go out and work radio calls like he used to, but he wants to understand what his officers deal with each day. And he wants his team to know a bit about what he deals with, hence the honesty and vulnerability.
“A common trait among leaders who demonstrate resiliency is that they’re engaged with their team,” Day says. “Maybe it’s not their personality or their style—they aren’t funny or outgoing or whatever — but staying relevant helps others know that they’re in good hands with the leader. You’re going to fail as a leader, but there’s a greater amount of grace attributed to the leader who stays connected and vulnerable, because employees know that it’s not lazy or superficial. It’s just a mistake, and we all make mistakes.”
Practicing resilient leadership is a moment-to-moment, day-to-day practice in changing one’s mindset.
There are small habits that help leaders thrive, such as practicing gratitude, forgiving themselves and their employees when mistakes occur, and connecting with nature. Tomson learned these lessons in his darkest moments of practicing resilience.
But like Tomson paddling back out to catch a big wave in the face of danger, there’s a mindset shift that takes place for the most resilient leaders. They decide to accept that failures and mistakes do happen, but that matters far less than their hope and purpose. They decide to keep a positive attitude and always move forward, even amid dire circumstances.
These leaders can better help themselves by having nurturing relationships where they can laugh, be honest, and learn from others. “CEO is a very lonely position in many ways,” Tomson says. “Vistage is a wonderful group where CEOs can get together and be honest. The Vistage groups that I’ve interacted with have a generalized feeling of hope and optimism. It’s almost like it’s an emotional contagion.”
Ultimately, resilient leadership is an individual journey, Day says. One can read all the books, listen to all the podcasts, or attend all the groups they’d like, but resilience can only be practiced in the privacy of one’s inner self. This is why Day sees self-awareness as one of the best practices for leaders who want more resilience — where are they uncomfortable in their lives and in their business? And how can they become comfortable with that discomfort?
“I would encourage people to be willing to be comfortable in the uncomfortable,” Day says. “That’s where you’re going to grow. That’s where the strength is going to come from. We don’t get better when it’s easy.”
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