The CEO Matters Newsletter (Edition 9)

We've got six pages for you in this edition:

Page 1: CEO Spotlight -Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify

Page 2: Reading - Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish

Page 3: Leadership - Return to the Office or else. Or else risk losing your best talent.

Page 4: CEO Well-Being - Stop Thinking About Work

Page 5: Quotes - The Top Ten Speakers

Page 6:? And one more thing.....

Page 1: CEO Spotlight -Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify

Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, is under fire. AGAIN. Why does everybody rail on this guy? I think he’s one of the top CEOs out there. After all, he is one of the Founders of Spotify and gave us an alternative to Apple. Oh, maybe that’s it. Shame on him for calling out Apple. I have deep respect for Steve Jobs, flawed as he may have been, but not Apple.

Make no mistake, Daniel Ek and Spotify aren’t perfect. Yes, Spotify could pay their artists higher royalties. Then again Taylor Swift seems to be doing alright. And that’s because, in addition to her talent, her business acumen made her a billionaire.

In response to changes in European law, Apple introduced new business terms that essentially enable Apple to continue doing what they’ve always done, no matter who it hurts or compromises. And Ek is calling them out. Sorry Inc Magazine, love you too, but on this, I stand with Ek because I respect CEOs who take a stand.

Page 2: Reading - Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish

“Shane Parrish has a marvelous gift for asking the right questions to elicit how clear thinkers think. After mining the minds of an impressive array of decision makers, he’s now put it all together in Clear Thinking, giving us a powerful framework of concepts and tools. Parrish guides us through the mental landscape of people who have spent their lives learning how to think with rigor and decide with discipline. Incisive. Practical. Full of vivid examples, and enormously fun to read.”

– Jim Collins, author of Good to Great

Don’t just take my word for it. Jim Collins, James Clear, Adam Grant, Ryan Holiday and a lot of other brilliant people think this should be on our reading list.

I am a big proponent of accurate thinking. We spend our lives cramming our heads full of information. And we know that the answer to anything is right there in the palm of our hand. But then again, what do we do with it?

The great baseball catcher and manager, Yogi Berra, once quipped “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” On the first pass, it’s funny. The truth is, Yogi Berra lived on a circular street so when you came to the fork, it didn’t matter which way you went. In life and most certainly in business, it’s not so simple.

Here are the 11 Things Shane teaches us in Clear Thinking

1. Learn to position yourself to play on easy mode instead of hard mode
2. Master your circumstances rather than be mastered by them
3. Use automatic rules to ensure you make the right choice, every time
4. Identify and reprogram the enemies of clear-thinking
5. Think independently and create advantageous divergence
6. Avoid self-destructive behaviors that keep you from moving forward
7. Transform desired behaviors into default behaviors
8. Shift your perspective to remove blind spots and see the situation clearly
9. Keep calm, even when others can’t
10. Quickly and easily get back on track when you make a mistake
11. Turn ordinary moments into extraordinary results

Your Turn: Reflect and Share

• How do you navigate decision-making in your life? Share your experiences or thoughts in the comments below.
• Have you encountered situations where Parrish's principles could have been applied? How would they have changed the outcome?

Page 3: Leadership - Return to the Office or else. Or else risk? losing your best talent.

The Great Resignation became Quiet Quitting, became Return to Office (RTO) or else. And now, many employees, especially high-performers are saying “Ah, maybe not.” High performers still have choices and they are still being actively recruited by other sharks circling around your best talent.

Gartner recently completed a study finding that about 8% of workers might jump if mandated to return to work. But, for the high-performers, it’s twice that or 16%. OUCH!

It’s a tough call. Demanding that employees either return or leave, as some high-profile CEOs have done, runs the risk that the people you most want to keep may walk while those you don’t want you’ll be looking at every day and possibly promoting.

Harvard Business Review suggests easing up a bit (as if we really have a choice). Be flexible and engage in open dialogue and consider alternatives and hybrid models. Some may be willing or even want to return, while others have pivoted to lifestyles that depend on remote employment.

Conclusion

The data and narratives underscore the need for a balanced approach to RTO policies. Employers should consider the potential risks to employee retention and engagement against the perceived benefits of strict office mandates. One more example of the need for CEOs to become increasingly collaborative, creative, and adept at pivoting on a dime.

Page 4: CEO Well-Being - Stop Thinking About Work

CEOs often find it challenging to become untethered from their work. However, research from the Journal of Applied Psychology suggests that this may be doing them and their companies a disservice. Leaving it at the office can be crucial for effective leadership. Even if you don’t consider it work. I struggle, a lot, with this one myself. Yet, intentionally enforcing ourselves to detach from the business increases our energy level and those around us. Energy, you see, is a two-way street.

Thinking, ruminating, and working about work after you leave creates mental fatigue. It affects your home life, damages your sleep, and frankly, it can even negatively affect your mood the next morning. Everyone needs an “off button.” Even you. Switching off is essential to maintaining your energy and showing up fully present.

Action Steps

• Set Boundaries

When it’s time to go, it’s time to go. One more email, another glance at the report, checking the bank balance, and so on doesn’t cut it. Go home.

• Practice the 7|7 Rule

No emails, texts, telephone calls, outgoing or incoming between 7 pm and 7 am. When you’re off, you’re off. It’s recharge time.

• Practice an End of Day Routine

Before it’s time to leave, wrap up the day. That means putting things away, organizing your workspace, and closing down all those browser tabs on your computer and in your brain. Yeah, I’m talking to you (and me). Review what went well and what could have gone better, what you will do differently, and what you learned. Take a minute to mentally bring the day to an end. Repeat this phrase a couple of times?

“My work is finished. Now is the time for rest.”

• Take time to wind down

As much as we would like to be able to shut off our brains the way we shut off a light switch, it doesn’t work that way. Having completed your end-of-day routine before leaving, take a few minutes to allow your emotional and energy turbochargers to slow down and cool off. Listen to music on the commute. Greet your loved ones with a smile when you get home. Have your drink of choice (not caffeinated) and intentionally relax. Take the evening to enjoy conversation, binge a series, or build the Empire State Building with Legos (Seriously, that’s on my list).

When you start taking care of yourself, those around you notice. They will begin to understand that putting in late hours, although sometimes necessary, is not the norm. When you show up refreshed, you radiate an energy that will have a positive effect and everybody will get more done

Page 5: Quotes - The Top Ten Speakers

Let’s give a shout out to Real Leaders Magazine for publishing its list of the Top 50 Speakers. These are the motivational gurus, thought leaders, and pundits who grace the stage with keynotes at the conferences we attend. Thought you might be interested in the Top Ten. And who doesn’t love Top Ten lists?

1. Tony Robbins: "The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment."
2. Simon Sinek: "If you want to feel happy, do something for yourself. If you want to feel fulfilled, do something for someone else."
3. Gary Vaynerchuk: "Legacy is greater than currency."
4. Tim Ferriss: "A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have."
5. Lewis Howes: "True greatness is not self-serving. It means impacting others."
6. Guy Kawasaki: "Great companies start because the founders want to change the world, not make a fast buck."
7. John C. Maxwell: "Creating positive change is the best way to test whether a person can lead well… and everyone deserves to be led well."
8. Lynne Twist: "When you take a stand, it actually does shift the whole universe and unexpected, unpredictable things happen."
9. Marie Forleo: "Don’t wait until you find someone. You are someone."
10. William McDonough: "If we think about things having multiple lives, cradle to cradle, we could design things that can go back to either nature or back to industry forever."

Page 6:? And one more thing

Italian Photographer Valerio Minato waited six years for the moon, the mountain and the basilica to perfectly align. The photo was taken near Turin, Italy and beautifully captures the Basilica of Superga and Monviso mountain perfectly centered against the Moon. Usually, this alignment occurs only once a year and weather thwarted Minato's attempts since 2017. However, in December 2023, everything perfectly aligned and his vision became a reality.