Long weekends like these (for those in South Africa, that is …) always prompt me to take my foot off the gas a bit. It’s probably the space and time that enables the staking of stock – something things that few CEOs have the luxury of doing.
What comes to mind is gratitude. It is a very powerful emotion to foster – far more so than most people realise. There are countless stories of how gratitude changes the landscape of things for the better, just by becoming conscious of what one has.
My thoughts tonight went to what CEOs have to be grateful for, which I left worth naming as a thought-starter for those of you feeling inclined toward gratitude this evening.
Surveying the CEO role, these aspects of it seem gratitude-worthy:
- The largely unfettered ability CEOs have to act
- The creativity that the role offers: new directions, new approaches
- The broad impact a CEO has to profoundly affect the good fortunes of many, many people
- Being a CEO during a time when the rules of business are being re-written very much for the better
- Having the ability to make a real and tangible contribution to the fight against climate change
- Being part of a growing global community of conscious, aware CEOs
- The opportunity to shape Exco’s and Senior Leadership Teams into high-functioning, epic groups of smart people all pulling in the same direction
- The fact that ‘joy’ is a distinct and reachable possibility in your work
There are more, but maybe those will get you going. What a time it is to be us.
With best wishes to you all.
