In a time of economic uncertainty and shifting policy landscapes, the 7th annual “Vistage on the Hill” event brought clarity, connection and conviction to Washington, D.C. This flagship gathering unites Vistage Member Excellence Award winners from across the country and industries with the policy experts at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the leading advocacy group for the nation’s businesses.
This event is more than policy briefings — it’s a two-way exchange.
Members bring real-world insights from the front lines, so Chamber policy experts can take those perspectives and push pro-business policy with lawmakers. Chamber experts, in turn, offer updates on legislation that directly impacts operations, investments and workforce decisions.
This year’s session was especially timely, unfolding amid heightened economic uncertainty and a growing demand for policy stability.
“The Chamber listens to all sorts of constituents,” says Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage Worldwide. “But what’s so important about listening to our members is that they are high-integrity leaders. They’re worried about taking care of their families, their communities, and their businesses — all at the same time. They are the people who are the backbone of our country and best situated to share the brutal facts.”
That sentiment echoed throughout Vistage on the Hill. CEOs spoke candidly about the challenges they face — from tariffs and tax policy to AI and small business policy — and how these issues affect hiring decisions, capital investments, and long-term growth strategies.
“It’s refreshing and incredible to be heard by people who influence policy,” says Tami Bohannon, CEO & President of AllThrive 365. “It gives me hope.”
For many attendees, tariffs were of top concern. “We’re an import business,” says Mark Shinbane, CEO of SK Food Brands. “Tariffs have a huge impact on the cost of our products.”
Others found unexpected value in the tax policy briefings, discovering new angles to support growth and reinvestment. “We need to review and make sure that we understand [the One Big Beautiful Bill Act] and can take that into our strategy going into this next year,” says Brooke Lee, CEO of Anchor Paper and new Chair of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
Several members left, determined to find new ways to integrate AI into operations, especially to automate and streamline processes.
“Vistage has the best of the best,” says Tom Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Small Business Policy at the Chamber. “Why not hear what they’re dealing with in their towns, their cities, and their businesses — and absorb that into what we’re advocating on Capitol Hill?”
Sullivan encouraged Vistage members to share their experiences with local lawmakers to help influence policy.
“I believe the government is in place to help and serve people,” says Andy Zucaro, Founder & President, AZCO Corporation. “For them to do their jobs and understand what people really need and want, you need to talk to them.”
Chair Roger Miller guides peer groups in New Jersey. He and fellow Chairs across the country plan to hold frank discussions with members, based on the insights from Vistage on the Hill, to “solve problems” and make “better decisions.”
Vistage will continue championing small and midsize businesses, amplifying their voices through a strong, long-standing partnership with the Chamber. By showing up year after year, we help influence pro-business policy and advocate for the job creators and problem-solvers who drive the U.S. economy,
says Reese.
“I was ecstatic to get the opportunity to come to Washington, D.C. with Vistage and to meet with the U.S. Chamber,” says Lee. “Those folks lobby for businesses like mine, and leaders like me, all day long.”
Legislative Outlook 2026: Policies, Priorities & Election Impacts for SMBs [Member Exclusive]
Entering 2026, small and midsize businesses are navigating a world of constant change, shaped by rapid advancements in AI, shifting workforce dynamics, global instability, and economic uncertainty.
To help you make informed decisions, Vistage speaker and strategy expert Marc Emmer will share his forecast for 2026, covering five key areas covered in his popular trends series:
Marc’s insights will reveal how you can turn trends in each of these areas into opportunities for growth and gain a lasting competitive edge for your business.
Date: November 7, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT
*Please use the blue box on the right to register.
Marc Emmer is President of Optimize Inc., a management consulting firm based in Los Angeles. Marc is a 20-year Vistage member and is recognized throughout North America as an author, speaker and expert on strategy and strategic planning. The release of his second book, Momentum: How Companies Decide What to Do Next was covered online by Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, CBS and CNBC. Marc has crafted strategic plans for over 200 organizations, including more than 100 Vistage members. He is a frequent contributor to the Vistage Research Center, Forbes.com and Inc.com.
The world’s best CEOs don’t just lead — they train. They approach leadership the same way elite athletes approach competition: with discipline, focus and an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement. In fact, how CEOs train like elite athletes says a lot about their leadership success. These top-performing executives don’t wait for challenges to arise. They prepare for them — mentally, physically and strategically.
As a former All-American distance runner at the University of Colorado Boulder, I learned that mindset and preparation are the key to the difference between merely showing up and truly excelling. When an injury ended my athletic career, I had to rebuild — an experience many CEOs face when disruption strikes. What stuck with me from the track to the boardroom was this: peak performance doesn’t happen by chance. It’s built through daily, deliberate effort. That’s exactly how top CEOs lead — and why they perform like elite athletes.
Based on my experience as both a competitive athlete and a CEO working with high-performing leaders around the world, here are 5 ways CEOs can train like elite athletes to lead at their best.
Great CEOs don’t leave growth to chance. They treat each week like an athlete entering training camp — focused, intentional, and goal-driven. One of the most powerful pieces of advice I ever received came from my high school track coach, Bob Brown: “Pick a goal at the start of every season.” That lesson changed how I approached everything.
Today, I use what I call the 6 Fs — family, finances, function, faith, fitness, and future — to set goals that keep me grounded and improving. This ritual is common among elite leaders. It’s not just about goal setting—it’s about training your discipline muscle. How CEOs train like elite athletes often starts with setting targets that matter.
Whether on the track or in the boardroom, standards matter. Elite athletes create accountability by declaring their goals out loud. CEOs can do the same. When you share your expectations, you invite accountability from your team — and yourself.
But accountability doesn’t thrive in isolation. Even Olympians have coaches. The best CEOs build similar support networks — mentors, advisors and peers who challenge them to level up. It’s another powerful example of how CEOs train like elite athletes: by surrounding themselves with people who elevate their game.
It’s easy to perform when everything’s going your way. But true leadership shows up in the hard moments — when you’re tired, uncertain or stretched thin. Elite CEOs know that motivation is fleeting. Discipline is what gets results.
There’s a saying in sports: “You don’t know who your best players are until your team gets its butts kicked.” In business, adversity is the ultimate test. How CEOs train like elite athletes comes down to this principle: show up, no matter what. The best leaders push through discomfort because they’ve trained for it.
The strongest organizations operate as one team with a unified vision. That starts at the top. In companies, just like in sports, silos kill momentum. Great CEOs build teams that collaborate, support one another, and share ownership of outcomes.
This is another area where CEOs train like elite athletes — they foster a culture of shared goals and mutual respect. They know that unity isn’t just nice to have; it’s a competitive advantage.
Winning teams don’t all think the same. They bring together diverse perspectives, challenge assumptions, and rally around a shared purpose. The best CEOs encourage dissent, not discourage it. They create space for tough conversations and alternate viewpoints.
When you build a team that values different ways of thinking, you unlock better decisions and stronger results. It’s yet another way how CEOs train like elite athletes — by building dynamic, inclusive cultures where everyone gets better together.
The top CEOs in the world don’t rely on talent alone. They train. They build systems around goal setting, discipline, accountability and teamwork — just like elite athletes. They embrace discomfort, seek feedback, and surround themselves with people who challenge them to improve.
You don’t need to be an athlete to lead like one. However, if you want to win, you must train like one. That’s the key to staying competitive in today’s business environment.
So build your habits. Strengthen your mindset. And commit to consistent improvement. That’s how CEOs train like elite athletes — and why it works.
This story first appeared in Entrepreneur.
CEO Health and Wellness Center
How CEOs Can Use Mindful Movement to Combat Chronic Stress
When Craig Weber consults with a company trying to adopt agile talent management, he first works to understand the organization’s existing patterns of communication. Often, those patterns make it difficult for teams to work together at any pace, let alone with agility.
At a Silicon Valley company, Weber — a Vistage speaker for over 26 years, and author of Conversational Capacity — interviewed the team and was told that the company employed no “jerks.”
Everyone got along well, they told him, but there was a downside: no one was willing to raise challenging issues. Executives of the company, during a period of explosive growth and while preparing for an IPO, soon discovered that essential topics were not being addressed because no one wanted to become the team’s first “jerk.”
Another company Weber visited, a social work nonprofit in New York City, had the opposite problem. Everyone always brought up difficult topics, they told Weber, and every conversation became argumentative. When they received a new referral for business, the organization had to send it to another organization, sabotaging itself over its inability to communicate well and work with agility.
“In both of these circumstances, the way people engage with each other is working against why they’re working together,” Weber says. If conversational capacity is low, there is no way to implement an agile management strategy that works.
Agile talent management requires the ability to communicate well, trust employees to do their work well and pivot quickly when needed, according to Beth Trejo, a Vistage speaker and CEO and founder of social media agency Chatterkick in Sioux City, Iowa. When an organization has implemented agile talent management, it experiences more openness, learning and transparency across its ranks. It can also respond better to market changes and challenges.
“You have to have transparency and trust in employees,” Trejo says of agile talent management. “I hire adults and grown-ups and treat them like adults and grown-ups — I trust them. I get to know them on an individual level. That’s how we build trust. They need to trust me just as much as I need to trust them.”
Taking inspiration from agile software development, agile talent management allows teams to work collaboratively and quickly, often on cross-functional teams. Breaking down the silos between teams requires a high level of communication, which usually involves uncovering previously undiscussed or taboo topics across an organization.
With an ongoing talent shortage and a business world that’s always in flux, more organizations are looking to adopt an agile talent management strategy. After all, most employees want to work in a highly collaborative environment with good communication between employees and managers.
However, many organizations struggle to adopt agile talent management.
According to the Elusive Agile Enterprise report by Scrum Alliance and Forbes Insights, 83% said talent mix is essential for the organization’s agility, but 70% said that the lack of engagement of executives and employees keeps their organization from having transformational success.
In Weber’s work, successful teams that can perform when the pressure is high develop their ability to balance candor and curiosity when exploring important issues and making hard decisions.
A team with high conversational capacity, says Weber, “Can perform well, remaining on track even when dealing with their most troublesome issues. The performance of a team with low capacity, by contrast, can be derailed by a trivial disagreement. In this sense, conversational capacity isn’t just another aspect of effective teamwork — it defines it. A team that can’t communicate about its most pressing issues isn’t really a team at all. It’s just a group of people who can’t engage with each other effectively when it counts.”
There are many benefits of moving toward agile talent management, including breaking apart silos and working at a faster pace, Trejo says.
Employees feel more respected, adds Weber. He’s seen engagement scores and talent retention rise within companies he consults with on becoming more agile.
Some executives even report personal benefits to adopting the principles of agile talent management at work. Weber says that he recently spoke to an executive group and, three days later, received a call from one executive telling him that Weber’s advice saved his marriage. “The successes are great, not just organizationally, but personally,” Weber says.
The first step for executives in developing agile talent management is to assess the organization’s current level of agility.
When Weber first consults with a business, he asks several contextual questions. What’s the organization’s strategy? What are its main challenges in meeting its goals? He’ll observe how employees and managers communicate with one another. Often, he’ll see right away where a company is falling short.
Then, Weber teaches a workshop on building conversational capacity by improving curiosity and candor. Both individual employees and the organization must become familiar with the concepts and skills of conversational capacity, specifically identifying areas where they may lack candor or curiosity, and then working on these areas to improve.
When there’s low conversational capacity, Weber says that organizations either avoid talking about tough topics or bicker and argue endlessly.
Both problems make organizations far less agile, often slowing business and ending essential discussions.
“You might have an excellent strategy in place with good intentions, but if you don’t have the conversational capacity to back it up, it isn’t going to go very far,” Weber says. “When you work in a more balanced way, with high candor and high curiosity, suddenly the undiscussable issues become discussable, and the unproductively discussable issues become more productively discussable. You start seeing things change dramatically.”
To see this change, Weber says that everyone across the organization must work to build their conversational capacity, and he shows them how to use their daily work as the practice space.
During meetings, this might mean that people with high candor — the truth tellers, the hard-to-please, the opinionated — should slow down and ask more questions. Or it might mean that people who typically only ask questions — the shy ones, the people-pleasers, the nonconfrontational — should respond honestly with what they’re thinking, as uncomfortable as that may feel.
Weber says that the systematic framework for building this capacity within individuals focuses on awareness, mindset and skill set.
To build your conversational capacity, Weber says there are three domains of practice: awareness (the emotional domain), mindset (the cognitive domain) and skill set (the behavioral domain).
Cultivating self-awareness is the first step. Learning to maintain a candid and curious stance requires a clear understanding of how our emotional programming works against it.
We must also adopt a mindset that subordinates our primal emotional reactions to the goal of learning.
But a mindset is only as valuable as our ability to put it into action, so the discipline includes a skill set — specific, well-defined behaviors — for conversing in a balanced way, even when under pressure.
While becoming more agile, Trejo says that organizations should still measure objectives. This may involve maintaining meeting agendas, staying organized to avoid time waste, and setting small, achievable goals. Easy wins in the first days of agility are important, she says.
As the team becomes more open and transparent with one another, Trejo notes that both employees and the team develop trust and intuition.
Those in creative roles are more able to try new things, while those in roles where key performance indicators measure success can watch the trend, tweaking what may need to be tweaked. Everyone is working toward the organization’s larger goal, but they receive more trust in their roles.
Ultimately, becoming more agile is up to each employee, manager and executive. The executives can adopt the concept, a consultant can teach a workshop and the employees can learn the concepts. But each day, every individual within the company must know what they need to practice and bring it into work, Weber says. Practicing takes courage, as people will make mistakes. At an agile organization, mistakes must be welcomed.
“You’re going to trip up and not always be as effective as you like, but treat that as something to get curious about,” Weber says. “If I didn’t behave in a way consistent with what I was trying to do, I should ask: Why did that happen? What can I learn from it? How could I do a better job next time? Even when it doesn’t go how you expected and your behavior doesn’t conform to your expectations, that is a great opportunity to learn the practice.”
While many of the skills of agile talent management are built from within, both Trejo and Weber say that there are traits organizations can look for to find the best candidates.
Trejo says people who are curious and ask a lot of questions tend to fit nicely into an agile workplace. In the interviewing process, she looks for people who ask her most of the questions, as she believes that this is a sign that they’ll be able to work well on collaborative teams.
While Weber hasn’t found anyone naturally talented at finding the balance between curiosity and candor, he’s noticed that people who have demonstrated their ability to work in various team settings and circumstances tend to do well in agile environments.
“This person seems to be able to jump into Team A and work well with them, and then jump into Team B, which is a different team and a different project dealing with different issues and characters, and they’re able to adjust their behavior and get along there,” Weber says. “It’s that ability to flex your behavior I’d look for.”
Training remains essential for new hires, mainly because it helps them fit into cross-functional teams. Trejo says that the leadership team must ask what cross-functional teams look like and how they can help employees step into these roles without colliding with other roles within the company.
The focus must be on working together rather than working at odds.
“Those are the questions I know we have asked ourselves, as role definition is important,” Trejo says. “People want to have a focus in what they’re trying to do, but how do you help them still learn other parts of the business or learn other parts of the client journey? You have to train and educate employees in those cross-functional roles. I think that’s so critical for everyone these days, because whether it’s turnover or you just need to change skill sets, training on cross-functionality makes a big difference.”
It’s also essential for organizations interested in agile talent management to ensure their tech stacks serve the business, Trejo says. Often, companies use pieces of technology that clash with one another, hindering how quickly teams can collaborate. The company’s tech stack should be well-defined and well-controlled to have cross-functional teams that work well.
Weber loves speaking to Vistage groups about conversational capacity, as he’s speaking directly to the CEOs and top executives. Without buy-in from executives, agile talent management will flounder.
Trejo says once executives buy in, the change must be fully integrated, or else an organization risks running in two separate directions from within.
There will be challenges and stumbles along the way, but Trejo says that organizations adopting agile talent management should also adopt systems for feedback and recognition. Employees should be able to talk openly about what is and isn’t working for them, and leaders should be willing to commend employees on a job well done.
“Every single week, as a part of our weekly stand-up, we do team shout-outs,” Trejo says. “Those have been so positive because the team, not just management, recognizes each other. It’s super simple, but it makes a big difference.”
Getting teams to stay in the sweet spot, both candid and curious, is the hardest part, Weber says, as the practice is the heart of agile talent management. Beyond executives becoming excited at a Vistage meeting, they must ensure consistent effort across the company.
Ensuring consistent effort is not easy, he says, but the usefulness of the skills tends to keep people engaged. However, Weber also helps organizations create their own, unique conversational code of conduct.
“It’s an agreed-upon set of behavioral norms, which helps the team remember and is a great way to onboard new talent,” Weber says. “You can say, ‘When you join our company, we’ve got some behavioral norms you need to be aware of, because you’re going to be pulled right into conversation right out of the gate. I don’t want you to be surprised by that.’ It’s a great way to bake clear behavioral norms into the corporate culture.”
Trejo consulted with a CPA firm on adopting agile talent management, opening conversations, building cross-functional teams and testing new technology. This often isn’t seen in financial services, she says, but it’s worked for them: They’re attracting more talent, their retention rate seems to be higher, and their culture has improved.
“Everybody wants to be something bigger than themselves,” Trejo says.
Understanding Talent Management vs Talent Development: Strategies for Organizational Success
Uncovering Hidden Gems: Use Precision Interviewing to Select Top Talent [Sept. 19 Webinar]
AI adoption in business is no longer a distant prospect for the future. It is here, and leaders need to focus on leveraging its full potential to remain relevant. Just like knowledge workers, CEOs need to take the lead.
The noise of tariffs, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical issues has drowned out the steady rise of generative AI in the workplace. Since ChatGPT first became available to the public in 2022, working professionals and organizations have rapidly transitioned from being cautious to becoming full-on adopters, signaling the rise of AI adoption in business.
Indeed, Vistage’s Q1 2025 CEO Confidence Index survey revealed that 7 out of 10 CEOs are now actively using generative AI in their roles. Similarly, 2 in 5 (41%) of organizations have a generative AI license or subscription.
So while Generative AI is, first and foremost, a tool for fueling individual productivity, it’s also becoming an organizational resource and a core part of AI adoption in business.
Leaders are increasingly focused on educating their workforces on when and how to safely and responsibly use AI within company policy. As of March 2025, nearly half (47%) of CEOs reported they are training their workforce on AI, a sharp increase from 32% in Q2 of 2024.
But what about the other 53% of CEOs who are not actively training their workforce on AI? Perhaps they are experiencing AI fatigue, as the novelty of AI has worn off. Or perhaps they are distracted by the economic ups and downs that are affecting their business, or they feel that employees don’t have the time to step away from work to attend training.
Regardless of what’s holding them back, attention and time are two of the biggest inhibitors to AI adoption in business, preventing professionals from experimenting with tools and seeking ways to increase their organization’s overall efficiency and productivity. But it is well past the time to wait and see how it unfolds — it is time to act.
CEOs must immediately make AI a top priority, as the time invested in AI today is exponential to the time saved tomorrow. Gone are the days when Gen AI was a secret weapon; today, it is expected that all workers use AI to some extent. The leaders who implement intentional programs to take their workforce’s AI proficiency to the next level will start to pull ahead.
Instead of just a standard technology solution, CEOs must view AI as a total reimagination of how we work and operate. To maintain a competitive edge, modern leaders require the foresight to have their own AI vision and the ability to align their purpose with productivity.
Meanwhile, leaders who continue to leave their organization’s use of AI to chance risk falling behind in policy and losing the zero-sum game of productivity, efficiency and overhead costs.
The impacts of AI on the workforce have already begun to be felt, with employers planning to do more with less and investing in AI over entry-level hires due to its ability to handle administrative tasks instantly.
An unusually high 5.8% of recent graduates have been unable to find employment, as an increasing number of entry-level jobs are being automated. The U.S. job market has already started to show the effects of this shift on a larger scale.
As such, CEOs are tasked with rethinking how they engage with a future talent pipeline and help them acquire the human skills, such as strategy, reasoning, and creativity, that are increasingly necessary to thrive in our AI-driven world.
Business leaders also need to train employees of all generations to work alongside and manage AI agents by investing in learning and development offerings that both equip employees to navigate this mindset shift and provide the skills required to optimize AI.
Whether you like it or not, AI is here. It’s not just a new app or a fun chatbot — it’s the foundation of a new era of tech.
It’s time for the 53% of CEOs who aren’t currently investing in training for the workforce to jump on the train of AI adoption in business before they get left at the station.
This story first appeared in Inc.
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Sarah Furness spent 21 years as a helicopter pilot and squadron leader in the Royal Air Force. “Leading operational combat tours of up to 120 people in places like Afghanistan and Iraq gave me a strong foundation in terms of performance, resilience and leadership”, she says. “It didn’t take me long to realise that those are things that a lot of people want to learn more about.”
After leaving, Sarah began to explore mindfulness as a way to handle the strong emotions and inner battles she faced. “Once you become aware of your own narrative, you start to become more aware of other people’s”, she continues. “You can see how everyone’s just sort of putting a brave face on for a lot of things.”
Sarah trained as a mindfulness coach and cognitive therapist, but she realised early on that people were more keen to hear about the military than mindfulness. “They wanted to know how my military career had helped me perform and lead under pressure and deal with stress”, she explains. “I began to pull out the mindfulness and mindset techniques that were embedded in our military training”.
However, Sarah is turning some of her military training on its head. “When I first applied to be an RAF pilot, I had to take a multitasking aptitude test”, she explains. “Multitasking is often seen as a badge of honour when it comes to productivity, but this shouldn’t be the case.”
Instead, Sarah favours a uni-tasking approach: the subject of her Vistage session on September 24th.
We are humans, not computers
Sarah came to the realisation that we, as humans, are not designed for multitasking. “Computers are able to switch very quickly between programs, and that’s essentially what multitasking is”, she explains. “We can do that to a degree, but we just don’t perform as well when we do.”
Mindfulness, says Sarah, is about focusing your attention where you want it to be. “Your attention can only be in one place at a time”, she continues. “With that in mind, we, as humans, can’t really multitask – we can only task-switch.”
Society has us believe that multitasking is the holy grail in the workplace. However, focusing on more than one task at once, says Sarah, is impossible – and attempting to do so can have a greater negative impact on your business than you may realise.
Could you be damaging your business?
Our natural response, when we’re busy, is to attempt to multitask. “It’s precisely this multitasking that leads us to be less productive, however”, Sarah highlights. “Not only are we doing less, we’re working harder to do less – which not only reduces our output, it also increases our stress.”
This vicious cycle results in employee burnout, reducing morale and increasing absenteeism. “You’ll find that people will end up working longer or harder to get the job done”, Sarah says. “They’ll open their laptop on holiday, and they’ll lose their work-life balance.”
Sarah’s proposed solution – and the topic of her Vistage session – is uni-tasking.
“This isn’t simply just doing one thing at a time for the rest of your life – that’s not realistic”, she explains. “It’s about realising you’ll perform better and feel better when you choose to focus on one thing at a time.”
Uni-tasking is the act of prioritising your high-value tasks each day, enabling you to perform those tasks better and more quickly.
“There may be other tasks that you can multitask as they’re easier and require less concentration”, continues Sarah. “However, by taking a step back and defining your most important task – the one that requires your full attention and needs your best results – you can make sure that task is done to the best of your ability.”
Why you should attend Sarah’s session
If you’re looking to become more efficient and less stressed, Sarah’s Vistage session is for you.
“We’re quite stuck in our ways, as humans”, says Sarah. “Switching from multitasking to uni-tasking can seem like too much work to put into practice. By releasing yourself from the myth that multitasking is the only way, though – by giving yourself permission to switch your focus – you’ll unlock a far more efficient and less stressful way of working, building a truly high-performance team.”
Learn more about Sarah’s session and sign up here.
In today’s fast-paced world, the pressure to succeed professionally and personally leaves many of us in a constant state of stress. For CEOs and other top executives, this burden is even heavier. Responsible not only for their own performance but also for that of their organization and employees, leaders are increasingly facing the toll of chronic stress.
The stress response is a natural evolutionary adaptation designed to help us respond to immediate threats. But when this response is activated continuously, as it is in modern life, we develop a condition known as stress sensitivity. This means we start overreacting to everyday situations that aren’t truly dangerous, often worrying about things that haven’t even happened.
Technology doesn’t help. With smartphones and the internet, we’re always plugged in — always “on.” In fact, a recent Vistage survey found that CEOs struggle to fully disconnect even when on vacation. Chronic stress impacts not only mental well-being but also physical health, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, sleep problems, and more.
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to combat the effects of stress, but not all exercise is created equal when it comes to calming the mind. While high-intensity workouts offer many benefits, stress-relief exercises for CEOs are most effective when they promote mindfulness and relaxation. Here are some of the best techniques to incorporate into your routine:
Repetitive, rhythmic movements such as walking, light jogging, cycling, or paddling can serve as a form of moving meditation. These low-intensity exercises help regulate your breathing, allowing your mind to settle into a meditative state. Leave the headphones at home and focus on your steps or breath to increase mindfulness and reduce stress.
Yoga is an ancient practice that integrates body movement with mindful breathing. From Vinyasa to Hatha, all forms of yoga help bring attention to the breath — a powerful way to calm the nervous system. Studies show that yoga reduces not just stress, but also anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances.
One study by Dr. Michael Goldstein found that students who completed a yogic breathing workshop reported significant improvements in perceived stress, sleep quality and self-esteem compared to those in a wellness education course. Importantly, they also had lower resting heart rates before stressful tasks, highlighting yoga’s impact on anticipatory stress.
Tai Chi is a gentle martial art that combines slow, intentional movements with deep breathing. For executives dealing with stress, it improves balance, cognitive function, and emotional well-being. Research supports Tai Chi’s role in reducing depressive symptoms and stress while also enhancing recovery from stroke, Parkinson’s and dementia.
Similar to Tai Chi, Qigong emphasizes deliberate, slow movements combined with mindful breathing. It has gained traction in the West as a stress-reduction tool, with studies showing benefits ranging from improved immune function to reduced anxiety and better sleep.
What unites these practices is their focus on the breath. Long exhalations, diaphragmatic breathing, and attention to natural breath all stimulate the vagus nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system—your body’s “rest and digest” mode. This shift counteracts the chronic fight-or-flight response CEOs experience daily.
Moreover, these practices offer something else executives desperately need: time away from screens. Just 30 minutes unplugged from emails, social media, and notifications allows your brain to reset and recharge.
By incorporating stress-relief exercises for CEOs into your weekly routine, you can build resilience, sharpen your focus and protect your long-term health. Whether it’s walking without distractions, joining a yoga class, or trying Tai Chi or Qigong, these practices can help you lead with clarity and calm.
This story first appeared on Dr. Wells’ blog.
The information and opinions presented are the author’s own and not those of Vistage Worldwide, Inc.
CEO Health and Wellness Resource Center
Why CEO Health and Wellness is Now a Business Imperative
Editor’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series examining generative AI and its continuing impact on the business world.
Generative AI (Gen AI) is fundamentally transforming industries, reshaping how AI is changing human work — from the way professionals innovate to how they create and solve problems. These systems — capable of generating text, images, music and complex solutions — are not just tools. They are catalysts for a paradigm shift in professional and creative landscapes.
For business leaders, this raises urgent questions: How is AI changing human work? And how do we define human value in a world increasingly driven by Gen AI? As automation anxiety spreads, professionals worry that their skills may become obsolete.
Gen AI is revolutionizing industries, redefining how professionals create, collaborate and lead. It can now generate text, images, music, and complex decisions. These capabilities aren’t just technological advances — they represent a fundamental shift in how value is created.
Professionals worry that their skills are becoming obsolete. But Gen AI isn’t eliminating all human contribution. It’s reshaping the roles we play and the strengths we need to succeed.
Historically, human value was tied to creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving (Think craftsmen, analysts and writers). Gen AI challenges that by performing many of those tasks, sometimes faster and better.
So what remains uniquely human?
Rather than competing with AI, we must evolve and lean into these strengths.
With Gen AI’s ability to process and generate information at scale, some workplace skills are becoming less essential. Tasks that rely on repetitive or predictable cognitive functions, such as data entry, report summarization, and even basic coding, are now easily handled by AI.
Likewise, routine problem-solving and decision-making tasks, where inputs and outcomes are clearly defined, are areas where AI outperforms humans in both speed and accuracy. Content creation in isolation is also declining in value. Tools like ChatGPT and DALL·E can quickly produce high-quality drafts, designs and media, reducing the need for human intervention in the initial stages of creation.
This doesn’t mean human creativity is obsolete. It means it’s evolving — from generating content to curating and refining it. Leaders must recognize this shift and guide teams toward higher-order capabilities that complement AI’s strengths.
As AI automates technical and routine tasks, human qualities will become more critical than ever. Emotional and social intelligence are crucial in roles that require trust, empathy, and connection. Leadership, counseling, and caregiving still depend on understanding and building human relationships — something machines can’t truly replicate.
Strategic and integrative thinking will also grow in value. While AI processes vast amounts of data, it struggles to connect insights across different contexts. Professionals who can synthesize information across domains, anticipate long-term impact, and align actions with organizational goals will remain vital.
Creativity isn’t disappearing — it’s maturing. Humans will increasingly serve as curators of AI-generated content, shaping it to reflect cultural, ethical and organizational values. Ethical and moral judgment will become defining skills as professionals manage AI’s potential biases and ensure fairness in data-driven decisions.
Finally, adaptability and learning agility will define future success. As AI rapidly evolves, those who embrace lifelong learning will be best equipped to keep pace.
The future of work isn’t about competing with AI—it’s about collaborating with it. Successful professionals will integrate AI into their workflows, leveraging its capabilities while maintaining critical human oversight.
This human-AI synergy — where people provide vision, ethics and emotional intelligence — opens new paths for innovation. Despite AI’s growing influence, the “human touch” remains essential in fields like healthcare, education, and leadership. Trust, cultural understanding, and compassion are core to these domains and irreplaceable by machines.
Rather than replace us, AI can augment our work, freeing us to focus on higher-value activities. For example, marketers can use AI to analyze data while humans craft messaging and strategy. Leaders must build systems that enable this partnership.
Thriving in the age of generative AI requires intentional preparation. Lifelong learning should be a core professional value. Employees must learn how to use AI tools effectively while leveraging their uniquely human strengths, such as empathy, creativity, and ethical reasoning.
Organizations should foster adaptability by encouraging experimentation, supporting cross-functional learning, and creating environments that reward curiosity and innovation.
Technology literacy is essential. Teams need to understand not only how AI works, but also its limitations, especially as they adapt to how AI is changing human work and redefine their roles alongside intelligent systems. By aligning professional development with the opportunities AI creates, businesses can future-proof their workforce.
Generative AI, when used strategically, is not a threat; it’s an opportunity. It gives us the chance to redefine what it means to be human in the workplace.
As AI handles more routine tasks, humans can focus on what truly matters: connection, creativity, strategic vision, and ethical leadership.
To thrive, professionals must embrace AI as a partner, not a competitor. Those who cultivate adaptability, nurture human qualities, and commit to continuous learning will lead the way.
The rise of generative AI is not the end of human relevance. It’s the beginning of a new chapter, one where we become not just workers or creators, but curators, strategists and ethical stewards, guiding technology toward a better future.
From frustration to flourishing: Mastering Gen AI Strategy [On-demand webinar]
Many business leaders and CEOs feel a sense of loneliness at the top and turn to business coaching for guidance. Executives often feel like all of the big decisions are on them, and they don’t always have a board of directors or an objective group of colleagues to lean on. Those who have others to turn to wonder if there’s a bias or agenda to the input they receive — or if their peers have the kind of experience to be of high service.
When CEOs have a coach they can rely on as well as a CEO peer advisory group, it’s a powerful combination that delivers impressive results.
This guide aims to shed light on how wonderful business coaching is when done in a proven, structured way.
Table of Contents:
Business coaching is one of the best ways to grow your business faster, become a better leader and set a clear vision for your business — and an action plan for achieving it.
A business coach is an accomplished leader who generally has enjoyed decades of success as a CEO, top executive or business owner. Also referred to as an “executive mentor,” “CEO coach,” or “Chair,” your business coach should have formal training in mentoring others and should follow a structured framework for success. Business coaches know that personal issues can get in the way of work performance and visa versa, so most take a holistic approach to coaching and encourage clients to address any issues that they are facing.
Business coaching can help you clarify your thinking, prioritize your work, help you make more informed decisions, and hold you accountable — and on deadline — for agreed-upon results. Your business coach can also be a great source of support, a trusted ally and someone to help you identify your blind spots — obstacles to growth that we all have but usually prefer not to know about.
A business coach meets with you on a regular basis to discuss the challenges, issues and opportunities you’re facing. He or she will ask questions to clarify your thinking and guide you to your own answers. A business coach will never tell you what to do or how to do it. He or she will share their own insights, experiences and resources to inform your own decision-making.
Business coaches also often provide information and research on the most relevant topics for your specific circumstances. You should feel comfortable turning to your business coach as a personal sounding board and as a respected source of feedback.
Most business coaches meet with their clients one-to-one. However, Vistage Chairs (another title for business coach) additionally facilitate CEO peer advisory groups, so you meet with them privately and in a powerful group setting.
Vistage Chairs help business owners, top executives and CEOs navigate their biggest challenges. They are part coach, mentor, guide, confidant and inspiration. In addition to meeting with their clients one-to-one, they facilitate confidential CEO peer advisory group meetings with 12 to 16 other business leaders. Their clients are from non-competing industries, yet they all face similar issues, and each learn from one another’s experiences and perspectives. The Vistage Chair leads group discussions so they are always focused, on-point and result in actionable next steps.
In between peer advisory group meetings, you connect with your Vistage Chair for a deeper dive into your unique circumstances. Unlike the average business coach, Vistage Chairs also use a time-tested model for mentoring that delivers proven results.
The bar is high to become a Vistage Chair. In addition to being an accomplished business leader with proven success, each Chair must complete an intensive 6-month Academy that prepares them to use Vistage’s proprietary framework for business coaching. This approach to mentorship has been honed and cultivated over six decades to produce phenomenal results for its client members. Vistage Chairs are also supported by a world-class business research center and thought leaders to help deliver the very best information and resources to their clients.
In the world of business coaching, being a Vistage Chair is the gold standard of excellence. Other business coaches simply do not have this level of structure, support and a world-class knowledge base to draw from.
When faced with this challenge, Gaurav Kumar, CEO of Beyond Codes and a Vistage member since 2014, turned to his Vistage group to seek advice and guidance from his fellow members. After a few hours of drilling questions and suggestions, Kumar knew he needed to bring his company together for an open conversation to establish role clarity across the board. This is just one simple example of how business coaching can help solve your challenges.
Many leaders confuse business coaching, consulting and mentoring — each serves a unique purpose. Understanding the differences will help you choose the right approach for your specific challenges.
| Approach |
What It Focuses On |
Best For |
Key Benefit |
| Business Coaching | Leadership growth, strategy, accountability | CEOs & executives looking to develop skills & refine strategy | Empowers leaders to solve problems & drive business growth |
| Consulting | Providing expert solutions & problem-solving | Businesses needing specific, tactical solutions | Delivers expertise & executes solutions |
| Mentoring | Sharing wisdom & career advice | Professionals seeking long-term guidance and insights | Provides career perspective & support |
Many leaders often confuse business coaching, consulting, and mentoring, as each serves a unique purpose. Understanding the differences will help you choose the right approach for your specific challenges.
Business coaching is ideal for executives who want to level up their leadership, make better decisions, and scale their businesses.
Getting distracted by the daily grind – Vistage business coaching can help you prioritize your work and put a smart, well-planned long-term strategy in place to grow your business. Your business coach will keep you focused and accountable for achieving manageable, strategic goals each month.
If you feel that all the decisions are on you, Vistage business coaching is the answer. You are part of a group of 12-16 respected peers – other local CEOs and business owners – who are all committed to helping each other succeed. Led by an accomplished business coach (Vistage Chair), everyone in this confidential forum has each other’s back and provides a trusted source of input and feedback.
Vistage business coaching will help you keep your eyes on the prize by helping you develop rock-solid, pressure-tested strategies. You’ll also stay inspired and motivated by renowned thought leaders and subject matter experts who present at most meetings. You know what they say about the company you keep…
Vistage business coaching puts you in an arena of others who have been there, done that. You have all of the perspectives, resources, connections and guidance to make great, well-informed decisions on a consistent basis.
Vistage business coaching helps member companies grow 2.2x faster on average than similar-sized U.S. companies.
During the Great Recession, Vistage business coaching helped member companies grow at a rate of 5.8%, while nonmember companies struggled to stay afloat.
The average CEO member stays with Vistage business coaching for at least 5 years; some have been with Vistage for over 20 years.
More than 23,000 business leaders worldwide rely on Vistage business coaching today.
Established in 1957, Vistage business coaching has helped over 100,000 CEOs and business owners become better leaders, achieving better results for their businesses.
Many CEOs and executives wonder, “Is business coaching worth the investment?” The answer is a resounding yes. Business coaching delivers measurable financial benefits, increasing profitability, productivity, and leadership effectiveness.
Not all business coaches are created equal. The right coach will challenge your thinking, provide accountability, and help you grow. Here’s how to choose one that fits your needs.
What is the time commitment involved for Vistage business coaching?
Through studying CEOs and leadership development for decades, Vistage business coaching requires that you take one full business day each month to meet with your peer advisory group and at least two hours each month to dedicate to a one-to-one session with your business coach (Vistage Chair). This does not include time spent watching and reading our world-class business resources or attending optional webinars and live-stream sessions.
Do CEOs need business coaching?
It’s easy to fall prey to insular thinking when you are at the top of an organization. It’s also difficult to get objective, unbiased feedback from others you respect. Every CEO, top executive and business owner can greatly benefit from the diverse perspectives and insights gleaned from a business coach and peer advisory group.
How much does Business Coaching Cost?
The cost of business coaching greatly varies and is primarily determined by the success rate, schedule, tenure and location of the business coach. Costs can range from $100 per hour to $1,000. To determine how much Vistage business coaching and peer advisory will cost for you, complete this short membership form to find out if you qualify.
Who is the best business coach in the world?
There are many great business coaches out there, and it’s a growing profession. The best business coaching in the world will help you make better decisions that benefit every area of your life, not only your company’s bottom line. Vistage’s world-class business coaches follow a structured, proprietary method honed over six decades.
It incorporates peer advisory to help its client members achieve the kind of success they have been dreaming about. It’s the most comprehensive approach to leadership development available. In fact, Vistage member companies grow 2.2x faster on average than other similar-sized companies, with members staying with Vistage for more than five years on average.
Does business coaching really work?
Absolutely. When you have a committed business leader who is willing to carve out the time from his or her daily routine to work with a business coach on their toughest issues and greatest vision, you are going to see results. Over the course of six decades, Vistage business coaching has helped over 100,000 CEOs become better leaders who make better decisions and get better results.
It’s a proven approach that’s helped business leaders turn companies around, quadruple their profits in a short time, save businesses, grow faster than they ever expected, expand internationally, and more. Check out some of these member success stories.
How do you find a business coach?
Complete this short form to find out if you qualify to get matched with a Vistage business coach in your area.
Explore 6 purpose-built business coaching programs. Every level of leadership can benefit from the fresh perspectives of a peer advisory group and business coach (Vistage Chair). It’s a proven way to drive better results and professional growth. Vistage offers programs designed for all levels of leadership, starting at the top.
Be part of a group of accomplished CEOs, presidents and business owners who can help you focus on what’s most critical to your long-term strategy and growth. Work with a dedicated business coach who will connect you to leading-edge experts and resources to help you solve your most complex challenges.
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When you’re in the throes of the everyday demands of a small business, it’s easy to overlook the details that will drive long-term growth. With the help of a peer advisory group and business coach (Chair), you can identify your blind spots, avoid pitfalls, and make better decisions that will grow your business faster and more strategically.
Explore the Vistage Small Business Program
Join an accomplished business coach and an elite group of high-performing C-level executives, VPs and directors from diverse backgrounds and businesses. Improve your ability to gain alignment between executive leadership and your team while making a more powerful impact on your company.
The Trusted Advisor Program is designed for leaders in professional services such as law, PR and accounting, who want to take their services and skills to the next level and open up new opportunities. It provides the exposure to help you gain new contacts to grow your business, the training to fine-tune your leadership strengths and the support to bolster your brand.
Explore Vistage Trusted Advisor
Vistage Inside offers a talent development approach that fully engages your team, equips them with the skills and sensibilities to manage collaboratively and helps them achieve higher levels of performance.
The Vistage Emerging Leader Program prepares your rising stars to become your next generation of senior leadership. Participants receive business coaching across 12 leadership competencies that empower them to deliver on company goals.
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Discover the winning formula that over 23,000 successful CEOs use worldwide and maximize your success with this optimized blueprint. Click the button below to get the free guide.
The Ultimate Executive Coaching Guide for CEOs Looking for Growth
8 Qualities of the Best Executive Coaches
One-to-One Business Coaching with Vistage
Vistage Executive Coaching Resource Center
Once again, a delay in tariffs yields a modest gain in small business confidence. The WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index rose for the third consecutive month, reaching 86.1 in July, primarily driven by a slight increase in economic optimism. There are multiple factors at play in this increase in confidence, in part due to the one-month delay in tariffs, as well as the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
Enacted on July 4, the OBBBA includes many business-friendly policies related to tax provisions. Attention now turns to implementation concerns and the guidance needed to understand the timing of different provisions.
According to Watson McLeish, Senior Vice President of Tax Policy with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC), “The bill will deliver permanent, pro-growth tax reforms designed to drive American innovation, boost investment and benefit businesses, workers and communities nationwide. He details five reforms that are particularly relevant to small businesses.
Members from Vistage are attending a briefing with policy experts from the USCC in Washington, D.C., this week to understand more about the implications of various policies on small and midsize businesses.
In addition to resources from the USCC, Chief Executive has compiled a list that helps break down business-specific provisions in the bill.
While a greater proportion of small businesses expect improvements in profitability, over 1 in 5 (22%) anticipate a decline in profitability in the year ahead. Ripple effects of tariffs and other rising costs, including wages, impact the prices that small businesses pay for goods and services.
Some businesses have stockpiled inventory ahead of tariffs as a way to mitigate increased costs. This strategy has a limited lifespan. As Uri Thatcher, CEO of TouchUpDirect, LLC in Chino, California, says, “As inventory works down, tariffed inventory will replace it at additional cost.”
However, following the initial announcement and subsequent delays of tariffs, sentiment about the negative impacts has eased as small businesses have had time to take steps to mitigate tariffs or have yet to be affected.
As A.J. van de Ven, President & CEO of CALSENSE in Carlsbad, California, shares that they have “diversified our supplier base, negotiated directly to mitigate tariff exposure, and aligned with federal procurement standards like Buy America.”
However, labor remains a challenge on multiple levels. Labor costs have increased, at times greater than the business’s ability to adjust pricing. As Stephen Moffitt shares, his company, Mottco Roofing in Hutto, Texas, experienced a “14% increase in pricing with a 20% increase in our labor pricing.”
For some industries, concerns about labor availability have increased. John Orfield, Principal of Dallas-based Boka Powell, LLC, says, “Residential market contractors are losing staff… driving prices up for both commercial and residential construction.”
While nearly two-thirds of small business leaders (65%) report no impacts from the recent acceleration of deportations, specific industries that are more reliant on immigrant workers feel the impact in various ways. “Labor pool for construction jobs is shrinking,” says Brad Lunz of The Lunz Group in Lakeland, Florida. “Fear is preventing some laborers from coming onto the job site. This is slowing the overall schedule and negatively impacting cash flow.”
Those businesses are experiencing the effects of immigration on two levels: 1) from the morale created by fear and uncertainty, and 2) the inability to keep up with demand due to loss of workforce and slower supply chains.
There are 4 implications for business leaders when it comes to potentially accelerated deportations impacting their business:
Policies related to trade, immigration, and other areas have both direct and indirect ripple effects on small businesses. Next month, our analysis will unpack more details on the impacts of the OBBBA on small businesses and subsequent tariff announcements.
The July 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 July 7 and 14, 2025, collected data from 465 respondents with annual revenues ranging from $1 million to $20 million.
To explore the full July 2025 WSJ/Vistage Small Business data set, visit our data center or download the infographic.
The August 2025 WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index will be calculated from small business respondents to the August WSJ/Vistage Small Business survey, which will take place August 4-11, 2025.