The results of the latest Vistage Confidence Index have been released. And they paint a picture of resilience, pragmatism, and renewed confidence among UK and Irish SME leaders.
The Autumn Budget has done little to reassure leaders about the direction of the wider economy. However, leaders are doubling down on what they can control.
Planned investment is up, and many are feeling cautiously optimistic about their revenues and profitability for the year ahead. Accordingly, the Q4 CEO Confidence Index shows overall confidence rising to 93.6, up from 88 in Q3 and 91.4 this time last year.
We view this as a clear indication that businesses are becoming increasingly confident in their own abilities to navigate the challenging conditions ahead, rather than relying on external support.
Read on for the report’s key findings.
Download the Q4 2025 Vistage Confidence Index in full.
Leaders are painfully aware of the economic and geopolitical challenges ahead. But they aren’t simply battening down the hatches and quietly riding out the storm until conditions improve.
Instead, they’re actively doubling down on strengthening their competitive position and laying the groundwork for sustainable growth.
Over three-quarters of leaders expect their total fixed investment expenditures to increase or remain the same over the next twelve months, with just two in ten anticipating a reduction.
Top priorities include product and service development, adopting new technologies, and making changes to leadership.
The generative AI boom of the past few years is set to continue steadily into 2026, with almost half of leaders citing investment in AI as a top priority for the year ahead.
Meanwhile, generative AI seems to have already become business as usual in many organisations. More than seven in ten leaders say members of the leadership team use AI, while almost half report that employees use AI tools independently. In fact, just a tiny 7% say that AI is not being used at all.
Amidst growing concern around AI-related job losses, almost half of all SME leaders anticipate that AI will lead to role re-allocation, while 14% expect it to create entirely new roles. Just 15% expect AI to reduce headcount.
Download the Q4 2025 Vistage Confidence Index.
Often, heightened optimism gives way to a phase of adjustment as expectations meet reality. One year ago, CEO confidence surged as post-election optimism fueled expectations of pro-business policies, easing inflation, and lower borrowing costs. That enthusiasm faded quickly. Shifting trade policy, rising costs, and uneven demand made planning difficult, sharply lowering confidence in early 2025 before it gradually stabilized.
That context matters as the Q4 2025 Vistage CEO Confidence Index shows a modest but meaningful improvement. Confidence rose to 88.9, an increase of 7 points from last quarter. More notably, this is also nearly 7 points above the 3-year average. This increase does not signal a return to euphoria. Instead, it reflects a growing acceptance of the conditions CEOs expect to face and a clearer view of both risks and opportunities for their business heading into 2026.
Looking back, CEOs remain pessimistic about U.S. economic conditions compared with a year ago, reflecting sentiment before the new administration took office. Forty percent believe that current economic conditions are worse than a year ago, while just over 1 in 5 report improvement.
Forward-looking expectations are less pessimistic, with less than 1 in 4 CEOs (23%) expecting economic conditions in the U.S. to worsen in the next 12 months. Additionally, the proportion of CEOs expecting improvements to economic conditions has grown to nearly one-third (32%).
Overall confidence is on the rise, not because macroeconomic conditions are stronger, but because uncertainty has become more familiar. Leaders have recalibrated expectations, moving away from reacting to headlines and social media posts and waiting for policy clarity and toward operating within a range of outcomes they can manage. Our data reveal that CEOs increasingly acknowledge that opportunities for their businesses are separate from macroeconomic trends.
“Things will look better in 2026 than they did in 2025,” said Lauren Saidel-Baker, CFA, a senior economist at ITR Economics. “A lot of that uncertainty is now behind us, and we can move off those lows and into growth — but this is a slow build in momentum, not flipping a switch.”
ITR Economics perspective helps explain why confidence is rising even as caution persists. Improvement is expected, but gradually, as leaders plan for progress rather than a rapid rebound.
As sentiment stabilizes, CEOs are sharpening their focus on the decisions that will shape performance in 2026. Revenue expectations are a key driver of confidence, with nearly seven in ten CEOs anticipating higher sales in the year ahead, a 9-point improvement from Q3. Profitability expectations have also improved, though to a lesser extent, reflecting continued pressure from wages, rising insurance costs, and supplier pricing.
The gap between revenue optimism and profit expectations is influencing decision-making. Growth alone is unlikely to resolve margin pressure. Instead, CEOs are prioritizing decisions around people, pricing, strategy, and technology — choices that emphasize execution over expansion.
Investment plans reinforce this measured approach. While the proportion of CEOs who plan to increase fixed investment spending has risen marginally, half expect investment levels to remain unchanged. Capital allocation in the year ahead will reflect discipline rather than hesitation, with spending directed toward resilience and building long-term capability.
When asked about top investments for the year ahead, CEOs reported people and talent were their lead investment priorities for 2026, followed closely by technology and business development. Artificial Intelligence is increasingly embedded in these decisions. Rather than funding sweeping transformation efforts, AI investments reported by CEOs are concentrated on tools, training, and workflow support that improve productivity and extend the capacity of the existing workforce. It is critical that AI efforts align with the organization’s greatest pain points and highest priorities, and CEOs need to manage and communicate that expectation.
Despite improving confidence, CEOs remain very conscious of the challenges their businesses face. Hiring, staffing, and retention continue to top the list of CEO challenges, reflecting labor shortages, skill gaps, and wage pressure. Economic uncertainty and margin pressure remain close behind, reinforcing cautious planning.
At the same time, workforce expansion plans have strengthened, with 7% planning to increase their workforce. As finding qualified employees remains a challenge in the tight labor market, an increasing number of CEOs are sourcing talent globally: 38% currently use employees (15%) or contractors (23%) outside the U.S., and an additional 5% plan to do so in the future.
AI has not displaced the need for people. Instead, it is reshaping how work gets done and which capabilities matter most. Demand for digitally engaged employees continues to rise, and training and governance are necessary investments of time and resources.
AI usage is now widespread across small and midsize businesses. More than three-quarters (76%) of CEOs report personal use of generative AI, indicating that they find it impactful for improving strategic thinking and decision-making, accelerating research and analysis, and streamlining communication and administrative work.
Digital engagement is increasing across leadership teams, functional areas, and individual employees. Adoption has outpaced formal strategy, creating a gap between experimentation and execution that CEOs must address this year.
“I use it daily as my thought partner to help me solve things I am stuck on as well as to poke holes in some of my strategy,” says Eddie Russnow, president of MAC Products, Inc. in Kearny, New Jersey. “I also use it when it is embedded in Word, Excel, Teams, etc. Recordings of meetings with AI notes and transcripts are a game-changer for me, so I do not have to take manual notes.”
For 2026, the challenge for CEOs will be alignment as they integrate AI into strategic plans, evaluate governance structures, and implement training programs. However, CEOs must recognize that isolated productivity gains will not deliver sustained advantages. As AI adoption increases, SMBs also need to remain vigilant against heightened cyber risk and to update their cyber-risk strategies.
Entering the new year, this uptick in CEO confidence reflects hard-earned experience. After a year of uncertainty, decisions for the year ahead have become clearer, investments more targeted, and challenges better understood. While growth is expected, it will be gradual, and CEOs must expect trade-offs and focus on executing their strategic plans. The shift from reacting to volatility to making deliberate choices within it may make their optimism more durable and steadier than last year.
To explore the full Vistage CEO Confidence Index survey dataset, view the infographic and visit our data center.
The Q4 2025 Vistage CEO Confidence Index survey was conducted between December 2 and 16, 2025, and captured input from 1,202 leaders who are active Vistage members of Chief Executive and Small Business groups in the United States.
Generative AI is rapidly evolving from workplace novelty to an unavoidable tool. Yet the most accurate measure of Gen AI’s impact on a company’s success still lies in its people. Ultimately, it is humans — not the technology itself — who have the power to unleash AI’s full potential.
Engagement is far from a new workforce metric. Data confirms that engaged employees perform better, have higher retention rates, and generate more revenue per person than their disengaged peers. But in today’s world, being “engaged” is no longer enough – employees must also be “digitally engaged.”
Digitally engaged employees not only take pride in what and how they work, but they also lead with natural curiosity. They don’t simply show up to clock in and do the bare minimum; instead, they willingly explore, experiment, and push their own limits, whether it’s the way they do their job or how they maximize their productivity. They proactively seek learning and development opportunities to gain the skills necessary to thrive, both in their current role and in future roles that AI will undoubtedly shape. They are willing to make mistakes, knowing that progress trumps perfection.
Accelerate your productivity and reshape your workforce. Get the report: Digital Engagement: A Predictor of Productivity.
It is these digitally engaged employees who are creating the playbook for leveraging Gen AI to yield meaningful individual, team, and ultimately, organizational gains. They are learning from and teaching their colleagues, driving collaboration, and improving their own performance and productivity. As they become superusers of Gen AI, they will help the company move beyond browser behavior and simple search to uncover more effective prompts, discover new use cases, and refine processes. They are building the roadmap to the workforce of 2030, which is on track to be entirely transformed by AI.
For business leaders, the takeaway is clear: curiosity – not technical aptitude – is the most desirable characteristic of the modern workforce. Curiosity sustains engagement, and engagement fuels curiosity. However, hiring for curiosity isn’t the single action. While individual employees’ natural attributes help determine their digital engagement level, it also hinges on the environment they work in. The following are four simple steps CEOs can take to ensure their organization fosters digital engagement:
CEOs must first follow the mantra of building individual skills. Simply put, if a leader isn’t continuously blocking out time to develop new skills, they can’t expect their teams to do so.
Create a culture where failing fast is not only welcome – it’s encouraged and rewarded. Make it safe for employees at all levels and roles to experiment as they learn what works and what doesn’t. Provide employees with the tools, training, and clearly defined guidelines to enable them to chart the path forward in real time. And importantly, encourage employees to communicate their learnings and collaborate with colleagues to help spread best practices – innovation does not happen in a vacuum.
In reality, everyone within an organization should be thinking about and experimenting with emerging technology like Gen AI at work – from receptionist to executive, summer intern to most tenured. Still, CEOs must have a pulse on the employees who are most digitally engaged within their organization. Once this class of forward-thinking employees is identified, leaders should focus on retaining, training, and elevating them.
Rather than trying to boil the ocean, leaders should pinpoint one unique metric they’d like to move at a time. Perhaps there’s a lengthy process that could be streamlined, or a workflow that needs refreshing. CEOs can then apply intentional energy to these processes to gradually make progress across the organization in a meaningful, measurable way.
As we move from AI transition to AI transformation, digitally engaged employees will be the most critical asset for any business. These individuals are poised to become the operators of workplace 2030 and beyond; meanwhile, the disengaged, disinterested, and unwilling to adapt will self-select from AI-dominant workplaces. The CEOs who can nurture employees’ curiosity and tap into their innovation will future-proof their organization not only to withstand but thrive in continued change.
This story first appeared in Inc.
Looking into the new year, small businesses continue to gain momentum. On the heels of resolving the government shutdown, followed by a third interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve in December, the WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index rose to 94.3.
While economic sentiment among small businesses remains more pessimistic than optimistic, leaders see a clear distinction between the economy’s performance and how their businesses perform. Once again, small business optimism about revenue and profit expectations is boosting overall confidence. As a result, many businesses are planning to expand their workforce.
Why are so many small business leaders expecting increased revenue? There are several factors. First, there is increased demand in specific industries. Gary Bales, President and CEO of Aurora Boardworks in Aurora, Nebraska, reports, “Inflation is relatively in check, interest rates are coming down, and manufacturing activity is picking up.”
Another contributing factor to increased revenue is price increases, a common strategy for small businesses to mitigate costs and protect margins. This practice will continue in 2026, with over half of small business leaders (54%) planning to increase prices in the next 3 months. To protect their margins, many are passing rising costs — such as wages, health insurance, and vendor and supplier prices — on to customers.
Analysis of open-ended responses to planned price increases shows they are overwhelmingly defensive rather than opportunistic. Of those planning to increase prices, most fall within the 4%-6% range, slightly above inflation. As Cathy Moulton, president of Thomas Wynne LP and CLM Coaching based in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, notes, “All of our costs have gone up, many in double digits. I can’t pass all of that on to the customer, but I need to narrow the gap.”
Nearly 7 in 10 small business leaders cite inflation and rising labor costs as a primary driver of their price increases, indicating that their pricing decisions are aimed to keep pace with higher wages, benefits, and general cost-of-living pressures to protect — rather than expand — margins.
While tariffs remain a significant force for specific industries, particularly manufacturing, construction, and import-dependent businesses, small business leaders view tariffs as unavoidable costs that must be passed through due to thin margins and limited ability to absorb them. The data shows a positive trend: tariffs are less of a factor in price increases and are instead combined into the rising cost landscape.
A small number of small businesses report raw material volatility, supplier-driven increases, or demand-based pricing power as their primary reasons for higher prices. Businesses are affected by which phase of the business cycle they are in.
This analysis reveals a clear message: price increases continue to be driven by structural cost pressures, not opportunistically in response to strong demand or strategic repositioning. Small businesses are conservative about raising prices, often raising them incrementally and frequently, following contractual or CPI-indexed frameworks to avoid pricing themselves out of the market. As many Vistage members have learned over the past few years, the strongest performers will normalize modest, structured increases; communicate transparently; and selectively raise prices while improving efficiency.
With the ratio of open jobs to available talent at 1:1, finding qualified talent remains a challenge for small business leaders. In fact, qualified talent is the number one challenge reported by small business leaders.
One source of talent that has gained popularity in recent years for small businesses is the use of contractors and employees outside the U.S. Currently, one-third of small businesses have employees (12%) or contractors (21%) outside the U.S., while an additional 5% plan to hire employees or engage with contractors outside the U.S. in the new year. Looking at how the past 5 years have changed the hiring landscape, nearly 1 in 5 (18%) small business leaders say their global talent sourcing has increased over that time.
There is talent all around the world, and we see that as a benefit to our strategy.
Sandy Coker, CEO of Human Power Solutions in Westborough, Massachusetts
We can hire two people overseas for every one U.S. hire. We couldn’t afford to staff entirely in the U.S. — and we would have great difficulty finding enough talent.
Jeffrey Drouin, Co-founder of XeBee Records, LLC in Commerce City, Colorado
Much lower costs while having a much higher skill set than people in the same pay range in the US. Technology makes them available like any other remote employee. As we transitioned to more at-home roles during COVID, we realized that we no longer needed to use only U.S.-based help.
Jamie Zabala, President of Advanced Hurricane Technology, Inc. In Fort Myers, Florida
The December 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 December 1 and 15, 2025, collected data from 602 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 December 2025 WSJ/Vistage Small Business data set, visit our data center or download the infographic.
The January 2026 WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index will be calculated from responses to the monthly WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO survey, conducted from January 5-12, 2026, from Vistage member companies reporting $1-20 million in annual revenue.
With 2025 drawing to a close, it’s worth reflecting on the forces that shaped business this year.
Tariffs and sweeping shifts in trade policy rippled through supply chains, driving up costs and testing the resilience of small and midsize businesses. Spiraling health care premiums created a new layer of financial pressure for leaders already balancing wage expectations and talent retention. And AI continued its rapid evolution — moving beyond knowledge-worker adoption into a front-line engagement tool poised to accelerate productivity and, perhaps, redefine the global workforce.
In a year defined by redefinition, one truth held steady: leadership remains the differentiator.
Leadership still sits at the center of every SMB. Sound decision-making, accountability and performance remain the lifeblood that carries CEOs and business owners through uncertainty, volatility, and opportunity alike.
With that, we look back at our top 5 leadership stories — examples of how leaders rose to the moment and set the pace for what’s next.
For International Women’s Day 2025, we highlighted leadership lessons from six extraordinary women — from Angela Duckworth on the power of grit to Kat Cole on leading with curiosity and humility — showing that great leaders lead with mindset, courage, and adaptability. Their insights underscored that leadership isn’t defined by title but by resilience, focus, and a willingness to learn and support others. Read more
In our Winter 2025 issue, we dug into the world of business transactions with stories from members on both buying and selling, showing how trust and strategy drive successful deals. The issue also highlighted succession planning and life after selling a company, offering practical insights for leaders at any stage of a transaction. Read more
At our annual Vistage on the Hill summit, Member Excellence Award winners joined policy experts from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., and brought real-world CEO insights on issues like tariffs, tax and AI to inform pro-business advocacy. The event underscored how leaders can influence policy and translate those conversations into strategic decisions back home. Read more
As one of our featured speakers in 2025, bestselling author Seth Godin challenged Vistage members to rethink strategy and leadership for a world of rapid change, urging leaders to abandon false proxies, embrace AI, and build purpose-driven tribes. His insights reframed leadership around meaning and long-term impact, pushing CEOs to lead with intent and courage rather than chase comfort and short-term metrics. Read more
In this post, we break down 7 key habits and mindsets that set elite CEOs apart — from crafting a clear vision and making data-driven decisions to investing in personal growth and leading with emotional intelligence. The article offers actionable leadership practices that any executive can adopt to elevate their strategy, team performance, and long-term success. Read more
After decades of building companies and making high-stakes decisions, a board seat seems like the natural next step. While board membership can be a rewarding path, these positions are often limited and can be more difficult to land than most executives anticipate.
In this guide, you’ll discover:
Board membership represents one of the most exclusive leadership opportunities available to executives. For those who successfully navigate the process, it offers the prestige of influence over major corporate decisions and significant compensation.
| Landing Board Roles at a Glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Path | What it Involves | Why it Works |
| Strategic Networking | Networking requires building long-term relationships with directors, recruiters and C-suite leaders. | Most candidates are sourced through trusted referrals. |
| Governance Training | You must complete NACD or similar programs. | Training signals readiness and reduces perceived onboarding risk. |
| Industry and Functional expertise | Your expertise must match a board’s specific skill gaps. | Boards choose candidates who fill immediate needs. |
| Time and Availability | Commitment to meetings, prep and crisis work is required. | Boards only select directors who can fully participate. |
Nearly 70% of boards use personal networking and word-of-mouth to identify candidates, according to the National Association of Corporate Directors. This requires focused relationship-building with sitting directors and search firms who influence nominations.
Executives raise their visibility through thought leadership and consistent engagement with board-focused recruiters. The most successful candidates invest years cultivating these relationships so they are top-of-mind when openings arise.
Governance programs from groups like NACD help executives understand fiduciary responsibilities, oversight expectations and boardroom dynamics. These credentials signal preparedness and reduce perceived risk for nominating committees.
Boards fill defined skill gaps, not general leadership roles. Large public companies often want former senior executives who have handled high-stakes decisions and complex stakeholder expectations. Growth companies may prioritize leaders who have scaled organizations quickly. Functional specialties (especially finance, technology transformation and cybersecurity) remain top drivers of selection.
Board work can range from 200 hours a year to far more during crises. Most boards expect multi-year commitments, and directors must be available for meetings, prep and urgent issues. While more employers recognize the value of allowing executives to serve, the practical time demands still limit who can take on these roles.
The traditional path to board membership works for some executives, but competitive board seats are limited, and even well-qualified executives face significant barriers to securing them.
| Board Seat Realities at a Glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Barrier | What it Means | Why it Limits Qualified Executives |
| Low Board Turnover | Few seats are open each year. | Supply never meets demand. |
| Relationship-driven Recruiting | Boards rely on known networks. | Outsiders struggle to break in. |
| Narrow Candidate profiles | Boards hire for specific gaps. | Strong résumés don’t matter if timing is off. |
| Cultural Fit Expectations | Style and dynamics influence decisions. | Selection becomes subjective and exclusionary. |
Most corporate boards have between 9 and 12 directors, and turnover remains slow even as diversity initiatives create incremental change. Public company boards, which offer the most prestigious roles, have especially long director tenures and intense competition. Private company boards present more opportunities but often involve compensation and governance models that don’t align with what many executives are seeking.
Board recruitment still depends heavily on personal networks. Executives without long-standing connections to sitting directors, investors or search firms have a harder time getting noticed. This dynamic isn’t usually intentional exclusion, but it does keep opportunities circulating among well-connected insiders.
Boards don’t simply seek “qualified executives.” They look for specific expertise that fills an immediate gap, such as financial oversight, digital transformation, or market expansion. Even highly qualified executives are often passed over simply because their background doesn’t match the board’s timing or needs.
Beyond qualifications, nominating committees assess interpersonal chemistry and how a candidate will influence group dynamics. These judgments are subjective and can exclude executives whose experience is strong but whose style doesn’t align with the board’s culture.
For executives seeking to leverage their experience and build a lasting legacy, becoming a Vistage Chair offers a compelling alternative. The role delivers many of the same benefits that attract executives to boards without the politics and availability issues.
| Comparing board membership and the Vistage Chair role | ||
|---|---|---|
| Factor | Traditional Board Membership | Vistage Chair Role |
| Number of Companies Impacted | 1-3 organizations | 12-16+ companies simultaneously |
| Selection Process | Highly competitive; relationship-dependent; limited control over timing | Application-based, with clear qualification criteria; you control timing |
| Required Experience | Varies; often requires C-suite experience at comparable company size | 10+ years executive experience with P&L responsibility exceeding $5M |
| Time Commitment | 200-400+ hours annually; quarterly meetings plus committee work | Monthly full-day group sessions; monthly one-on-one coaching; flexible scheduling |
| Income Potential | Fixed director fees; limited opportunity for growth | Variable based on practice size; average career earnings of approximately $3.5M over a typical 14.5-year tenure |
| Role Duration | Typically 5-10 years per board; limited by term limits and retirement policies | Average Chair tenure of 14.5 years; sustainable throughout retirement with no mandatory end date |
| Learning & Support | Isolated; limited peer support structure | Comprehensive training; ongoing peer community; proven methodologies |
| Impact Type | Governance oversight; strategic approval | Direct coaching; facilitated problem-solving; measurable business outcomes |
Board directors typically oversee one to 3 organizations. Chairs work with groups of up to 16 CEOs from non-competing companies, multiplying their reach. Instead of quarterly meetings, Chairs facilitate monthly full-day sessions that address strategic decisions and growth obstacles across many industries in real time. The variety and frequency create a broader impact than most board roles allow.
As a CEO, I was blessed to have worked in five countries on three continents, and I thought that just the impact on people I’ve worked with and led was life-changing. But to be able to impact those whom I don’t directly work with—and their organizations—has been life-changing.” – George Glover | Vistage Chair since 2016
Board service involves complex interpersonal dynamics and requires directors to stay at a governance level. For many executives, that distance from operational decision-making can be frustrating.
The Chair role removes that tension. Chairs guide CEOs through practical problem-solving using structured facilitation methods and monthly one-to-one coaching. They help leaders act on decisions immediately, applying their experience without crossing governance boundaries or navigating board politics.
I help members by determining who they really are as leaders and where they want to be as leaders. I also provide them with a platform—a place to stand and grow, to find support and to make change possible. Most people need that kind of support to go through a major change. They don’t have to go it alone.” – Lance Descourouez | Vistage Chair since 1998
Board seats are limited, timing-dependent and outside an executive’s control. Compensation varies widely, and opportunities are unpredictable.
Chairs operate differently. As independent contractors, they build their own practices, with earning potential tied to group size and long-term member relationships. Members stay an average of 5 years, creating stable recurring income rather than the short-term contracts typical of independent coaching. The role offers schedule flexibility and can be sustained well into retirement, providing both purpose and income far beyond traditional board pathways.
Being a Chair is an opportunity to have an impact not just on an individual, not just on a team, but actually on other employees, on the families that those people go home to, and the ripple effect of that.” – Scott Seagren | Vistage Chair since 2010
New board members often feel isolated and unsure how to contribute without overstepping.
Chairs receive comprehensive training through the Chair Academy, plus ongoing support from a global community of 1,300 Chairs. Beyond training, Vistage provides back-end support for marketing, billing and member engagement, so Chairs spend more time coaching and less time on administrative tasks. Local Chair communities offer peer collaboration in your market, helping new Chairs build their practices faster.
For those who Chair a Vistage group, it’s rewarding beyond almost anything. The ROI goes way beyond the money. Like me, you’ll probably do it the rest of your life.” – Troy Rice | Vistage Chair since 2011
Board service influences organizations from a distance. Chairs influence leaders directly. Through monthly group meetings and individual coaching, Chairs help CEOs grow their companies through improved decision-making and leadership skills.
The ripple effect touches entire organizations and communities. Many Chairs describe this as the most meaningful work of their careers because they can see and measure the impact of their guidance.
I’m a huge believer in the power of a group. Vistage combines this with the opportunity to work with high-performing CEOs and entrepreneurs to create growth and value for themselves, their employees and families, and the entire community.” – Linda Gabbard | Vistage Chair since 2005
The Vistage Chair role isn’t for every executive, and that’s by design. It represents a compelling alternative for leaders who want board-level impact without the limitations of traditional board membership.
The role makes sense if you:
Your decades of leadership experience are too valuable to waste. The question is, which path allows you to create the greatest impact while aligning with your personal and professional goals?
The most successful leaders never stop learning.
They challenge their thinking, invest in their growth, and surround themselves with people who elevate their performance.
That’s exactly what our Vistage events are designed to deliver.
Our upcoming sessions bring together world-class thinkers and practitioners who know how to turn big ideas into practical, repeatable leadership habits.
Whether you want to lead yourself better, scale your sales function, sharpen team performance, regain focus, or master hybrid working, our upcoming Vistage Climb events are packed with opportunities to elevate your leadership.
Here’s a preview of what’s ahead.
Leadership isn’t just about technique. It’s about taking responsibility for the person you bring into the room.
On January 28th, award-winning Vistage Speaker, business coach and author Brad Waldron will explore how leaders can confront the “elephants” that quietly limit their clarity, performance, and impact.
This session is designed to help CEOs take ownership of their story, challenge limiting patterns, and create better outcomes for themselves and the people they lead.
Date: 28th January 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM GMT
Too many businesses stall because their best salespeople were promoted into leadership without the support, tools or structure needed to succeed.
On February 25th, Vistage Speaker Lars Tewes will share some of the proven models for building a scalable, consistent, and high-performing sales function.
Date: 25th February 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM GMT
Every CEO wants an elite team. But few know the exact steps required to create one.
Business coach and motivational speaker Pete Wilkinson knows that elite teams don’t happen by accident. They’re built with intention, led with clarity, and strengthened continuously.
Drawing on senior leadership experience and elite performance practice, this masterclass will break down how to choose the right people, lead with clear objectives and embed high-performance habits that last.
Date: 25th March 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM GMT
When everything feels urgent, leaders become reactive instead of strategic. But productivity isn’t about doing more. It means working with a sharper focus on the things that matter.
On 29 April, award-winning speaker and organisational psychologist Zena Everett will show you how to reclaim your time, sharpen focus, and eliminate the drag that slows organisations down.
Date: 29th April 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 01:00 PM GMT
Service excellence starts long before the customer interaction. It starts with how leaders empower, align, and inspire their people.
On 20 May, leadership, engagement, customer and human performance consultant Mark Robb will unpack what truly drives exceptional service cultures.
This practical, research-backed session explores how leaders create the conditions for outstanding customer experiences, how engagement fuels service, and how teams can transform negative moments into powerful loyalty-building opportunities.
Date: 20th May 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 01:00 PM GMT
Many leaders still struggle to make hybrid work work. But hybrid working isn’t the problem. Outdated leadership habits are.
On 24 June, HR and organisational performance expert Joanna Ramsdale will break down the essential shifts CEOs must make to build high-performing hybrid teams.
Date: 24th June 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 01:00 PM GMT
Vistage events are designed to do more than inspire. They equip leaders with the habits, strategies and frameworks that create real organisational impact.
Explore the full Vistage events calendar here.
In late November, the UK Government’s Autumn Budget was delivered against a challenging economic backdrop, marked by an ageing population, subdued productivity and rising pressure on public finances.
With around 34 million people in work supporting a growing number of retirees and benefit claimants, the Chancellor has faced difficult trade-offs between stability, spending and growth.
In our December 2025 Economic Update, economist and strategist Roger Martin-Fagg shares his perspective on what the Budget could mean for people and businesses across the UK.
This article will summarise the key points of the report. But for a deeper dive from Roger, you can download the full Economic Update here.
The Budget contains a number of measures intended to provide stability and longer-term support.
A central aim appears to have been to reassure financial markets, supported by the creation of a large contingency fund.
Spending continues to be concentrated on welfare, pensions and health, reflecting demographic pressures such as an ageing population.
The government has retained its long-term infrastructure ambitions, with major projects remaining on the official pipeline, although delivery has been uneven. The commitment provides a degree of certainty for businesses planning future investment.
Targeted skills measures are to be implemented, with full funding available for certain apprentices aged 16–24, particularly those with additional needs or care experience.
Despite economic challenges, the OECD and IMF continue to forecast that the UK will be among the stronger performers in the G7, with growth broadly in line with other advanced economies.
Concerns remain around growth and productivity, with private and public investment spending remaining below pre-financial crisis levels. Uncertainty ahead of the Budget may have also further weakened investment and hiring.
There’s scepticism about whether the Budget offers a clear long-term growth strategy, with much of the additional spending absorbed by welfare, pensions, health and debt interest rather than investment.
Freezing income tax allowances raises revenue, but is expected to draw more people into higher tax bands (4.8m over the next four years) and limit growth in disposable incomes. The burden, therefore, falls disproportionately on working people and savers, rather than being more broadly spread.
Debt remains high, and borrowing costs are expected to stay under pressure amid rising global bond yields.
Overall, Roger says, the Budget prioritises financial stability and support for vulnerable groups, but leaves longer-term questions around growth, productivity and living standards unresolved.
Its impact is likely to be felt unevenly, offering reassurance to markets and increased public spending, but limited immediate relief for households and businesses facing higher tax pressures.
Download the Economic Update for December 2025 in full.
Why do Vistage members outperform the competition? Because they have the benefit of peers who generously share their experience (good, bad, and ugly) and perspectives with each other every month. Peter Davis, retired chairman and CEO of Gaco Western, was a Vistage member for nearly 20 years. Upon exiting his business, he drafted “Gaco’s Secret Sauce,” outlining the ingredients that contributed to a 23-year transformation of a beast into a beauty. Peter has given us permission to share those lessons for the benefit of all business leaders.
The secret sauce at Gaco is not a secret. The 16 ingredients below were pilfered from 20 years of Vistage membership, listening and learning from the fabulous minds at Gaco, and Jim Collins’ book, “Good to Great,” which we gave to all new employees.
Gaco Western was a family-owned, second-generation building products manufacturer, founded in 1955 by my father. I took over in 1994, when the company was worth less than nothing. How does a small company succeed when its only strategy is to lower its prices? You do not. My father had retired 17 years earlier and left a hugely profitable, specification-driven company to return to the public sector, his real love. The intervening leadership destroyed almost everything in a few years. So, in 1994, I took over a bankrupt-in-every-way mess: no money, no morale, no strategy, and a real disregard for chemical safety regulations. UGH, 4 times.
Below, in abbreviated form, are the 16 key ingredients that grew a $15 million struggling, dysfunctional mess to something valued at 20 times that amount in a decade or so — in the building products industry, no less. Gaco was sold in March of 2017 to Firestone Building Products. I retired that day. These 16 ingredients turned a stocking of coal into a very nice “many carated” glittering pot at the end of the rainbow:
I hope it is obvious that these are aspirational ingredients that simply defined the lanes of the freeway we drove the bus on. On some days, in some situations and for some employees, we were less successful than others. Some of these core ingredients did not work out on some days.
I have been asked to prioritize these 16 ingredients. I have difficulty doing so because, as with all good recipes, each of these was an important part of the secret sauce that created an amazing, unique culture that built a fabulous, privately held company in a very tough, competitive environment. It is clear that People and Winning were the bedrock of our freeway. I had a chant I would repeat endlessly, “YOU WE WIN NOW,” that in 4 words summarized my beliefs, and my stewardship.
Ultimately, I hope this is seen as a wonderful recognition of the gifted Gaco Western employees, who are the real heroes in this story.
The information and opinions presented are the author’s own and not those of Vistage Worldwide, Inc.
ChatGPT made its public debut in November 2022. Before then, Artificial Intelligence was largely a corporate buzzword or big tech slang. Just over three years later, AI is no longer jargon — it’s ubiquitous. Everyone uses it everywhere, for everything. Looking down the road at 2030, AI is on track to dominate every aspect of business, from internal operations to external execution. Its potential to holistically transform how work gets done is endless.
While there is no question that AI will have a significant impact on the future of work, precisely what it will look like in 4 years remains to be determined. Many futurists opine on what’s to come, ranging from grim visions of robots replacing humans to more optimistic images of AI improving the employee experience and providing greater work/life balance. As always, the reality probably lies somewhere between the two, in a world where jobs look different, but people are still the linchpin to organizational success. Either way, AI will impact every line on the P&L— revenues, costs, operations, people, and investments. It will affect every business leader’s ability to provide their product and/or service competitively; it will also impact their customers and competitors.
According to Vistage research, nearly 3 in 4 (72%) CEOs running small and midsize businesses develop a strategic plan internally. But these legacy frameworks often fail to accommodate new and emerging technologies. And leaders who don’t have a deliberate approach to integrating AI risk will be left behind and unprepared for the market and economic realities of an AI-powered 2030.
Adding AI to a strategic plan can be daunting. Its uncharted and quickly evolving nature means there is no playbook or clearly defined destination. Add the dynamics of an AI-anxious workforce tasked with leveraging tools they fear will eventually put them out of a job — in effect, making people feel as though they are digging their own graves — and it’s no surprise that many business leaders are wary about adding AI to their tried-and-true planning processes. However, AI is happening now. CEOs must begin embracing AI rapidly and intentionally to remain competitive – both today and down the road.
Business leaders can begin embedding AI into their strategic plan by focusing on the following key areas:
How is AI reshaping the marketplace, including competitors, pricing and capabilities?
How does it change your unique value proposition that customers will recognize and reward in an environment where customer requirements will change rapidly?
How does it impact your ROI and investment models?
How does it impact your productivity as an organization? How can you leverage employees’ individual productivity gains, and how can you automate existing workflows to capitalize on the power of AI?
What are the skills that your workforce will need to develop, and what are the tools they’ll need to thrive in the future?
How can you ensure you have the right security protocols, data protection and ethical considerations in place?
By diving deep into these six areas, CEOs can begin honing their long-term vision and tactical approach to integrating AI into their business. By developing a strong point of view and a blueprint for implementing AI, CEOs can position themselves for long-term gains.
Overcoming the hesitation to integrate AI is challenging, and taking AI from experimentation to mastery is no small — nor speedy — task. But make no mistake: AI is here, and it is already actively transforming business. Those who take a proactive approach to weaving AI into their strategic plan will be primed for success, whether it’s in 2026, 2030 or beyond.
This story first appeared in Inc.