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Forbes
29-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Five Temptations Sabotaging CEO Well-Being
CEO well-being has hidden challenges. In his classic leadership fable, The Five Temptations of a CEO, Patrick Lencioni explored how behavioral pitfalls, not tactical missteps, quietly undermine an organization's performance. But there's another, often overlooked, set of temptations that threaten something just as critical: a CEO's well-being. CEO well-being is the infrastructure that supports strategic thinking, executive presence, sound decision-making, and long-term resilience. When it's compromised, so is leadership. Below are five of the most common well-being temptations high-level leaders face—temptations that can quietly derail even the most capable performers. Temptation 1: Performance Over Authenticity There's an unspoken contract that many CEOs carry: always to be composed, sharp, and "on." In business and leadership, appearance matters. The team, investors, board, and media look to the CEO for certainty, even when that certainty is unraveling internally. This pressure to perform often leads to a carefully maintained persona. Over time, that external projection becomes a mask—one that's hard to remove, even in private. Fatigue is reframed as grit, while emotional exhaustion is labeled as discipline, and recovery is viewed as optional. But this isn't sustainable. The longer the gap between how a leader feels compared to what they present, the more they disconnect from themselves and, eventually, from those around them. When leadership prioritizes preserving the image over protecting the vessel, the cost is evident in diminished energy, presence, and performance. Authenticity in this context isn't about overt public vulnerability. It's about private honesty. It means being attuned to your personal dashboard and making adjustments before breakdowns occur. Temptation 2: Pleasing Over Boundaries Responsiveness is part of the job. CEOs are problem solvers, decision-makers, and vision casters. But there comes a point where saying yes to everything becomes a subtle form of self-sabotage. This temptation often shows up as hyper-availability. The calendar overflows, and space for strategic thinking evaporates while personal well-being is pushed to the margins. In the pursuit of productivity, presence, and success, leaders slowly trade depth for speed. Without firm boundaries, even the most disciplined leaders shift into reactive mode. Their days become a blur of other people's agendas. Low-return activities consume energy that could be allocated to high-leverage decisions. What appears to be dedication is often a form of depletion in disguise. Leadership at the highest level requires protected time: time for rest, reflection, movement, and solitude. Boundaries aren't about pushing people away; they're about protecting your capacity to show up at your best consistently. Temptation 3: Certainty Over Progress Top leaders rarely struggle with discipline, but they often struggle with overthinking. Especially when it comes to personal health and lifestyle changes, many resist taking action unless the plan feels fully mapped out, frictionless, and optimized. Overthinking and hesitation show up in subtle ways. For example, a CEO wants to lose weight or regain energy. Instead of starting with small, high-impact habits, they spend weeks comparing diets, debating protocols, or researching the "perfect" system—progress stalls under the illusion of productivity. The pursuit of certainty often masks a deeper discomfort with change, or a fear of failure. And while the delay may seem harmless, it compounds. Health doesn't operate on quarterly timelines, unlike business. It declines slowly, then suddenly. The same decisiveness that drives business growth must apply to a leader's well-being. Momentum, not perfection, is the catalyst for transformation. Clarity often follows action, not the other way around. Temptation 4: Comfort Over Growth When external markers of success are strong—revenue is growing, the team is stable, and reputation is solid—it's easy for leaders to default into maintenance mode. However, comfort, in the context of well-being, can be deceptive, just as it is in business. It's not about laziness. It's about inertia. What once fueled growth: self-reflection, accountability, and discomfort get replaced by routine. Over time, subtle declines go unnoticed. What feels like 90% capacity may only be 60%. This is especially detrimental because personal health doesn't send urgent alerts the way business metrics do. Fatigue becomes normalized, while reduced clarity is seen as "just part of the job," and the performance ceiling lowers without anyone noticing. The best leaders apply the same growth mindset internally that they apply externally. They remain healthily paranoid, not in fear, but in awareness. They evolve because the mission demands it. Temptation 5: Independence Over Connection Self-reliance is a virtue until it isolates. Many CEOs and leaders take pride in carrying the load. They manage stress silently, downplay personal challenges, and avoid asking for actual help. But what begins as a strength can quietly become a weakness. While Temptation 1 deals with external projection, this temptation is about internal isolation. The long-term cost is steep: reduced emotional capacity, decision fatigue, increased reactivity, decreased mental health quality, and strained relationships both at work and at home. Success isn't a solo sport, and great leaders don't operate in silos. They build cohesive teams in business and create systems that support their well-being. Why CEO Well-Being Is A Strategic Priority The most dangerous threats to a CEO's well-being aren't dramatic. They're quiet, rationalized, and easy to overlook. The leaders who protect their personal infrastructure aren't just optimizing their health; they're future-proofing their effectiveness. In today's high-stakes, high-speed environment, CEO well-being isn't just important; it's a non-negotiable. As competition intensifies and the margin for error shrinks, the edge belongs to those who lead from a place of alignment, not depletion.
Fast Company
19-06-2025
- Health
- Fast Company
3 tiny behaviors that make you the calmest person in the room
In high-stakes meetings or chaotic team moments, the person who stays grounded often becomes the one others follow. And this outcome isn't about status or rank—it's biological. Human groups are wired to seek cues of stability. In uncertain situations, people scan for behavioral signals of calm, control, and composure. Those who project these signals can influence group dynamics in powerful ways, whether or not they hold formal authority. In my work on Leadership Biodynamics, a biology-based approach to executive presence, I train leaders to tune their behavioral signals intentionally. The goal is not to fake confidence, but to engage practices that create real calm in the body and broadcast it to others. This is rooted in the biology of behavior. When your nervous system signals stability, others' systems start to regulate in response. Here are three tiny behaviors that can make you the calmest person in the room. 1. Slow Your Exhale One of the fastest ways to regulate your nervous system is through your breath. Specifically, focus on extending the exhale. A longer out-breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling to your body and brain that you are safe and in control. In stressful moments, most people unconsciously shorten their breath, which heightens physiological arousal. By contrast, slowing your exhale lowers heart rate variability and helps maintain executive function under pressure. Neuroscience research supports this. Controlled breathing patterns are shown to downregulate the amygdala, the brain's threat detection center, and improve prefrontal cortex performance. In leadership terms, this allows you to think clearly and signal calm even when tension is high. 2. Master the Neutral Face Facial expressions are among the most contagious signals in any room. Subtle cues of tension—tightened jaw, furrowed brow, compressed lips—trigger mirror neuron responses in others, escalating stress contagion. One of the simplest yet most powerful techniques is to practice what I call a neutral face. Relax your facial muscles, release tension from the jaw and brow, and let your gaze soften. This sends nonthreatening signals that calm others' nervous systems. A recent story on how fighter pilots maintain calm in high-stakes situations echoes this principle. Pilots are trained to maintain neutral, composed facial expressions because they know crew members will mirror their affect. The same applies in leadership settings. 3. Use Stillness Strategically Movement is another powerful signal. Rapid, jittery gestures broadcast anxiety. Deliberate stillness, on the other hand, projects control. In tense meetings, practice purposeful stillness. Rest your hands lightly on the table, slow your gestures, and allow silences to stand without rushing to fill them. This creates a grounding presence that helps regulate group energy. Behavioral research confirms that leaders who demonstrate controlled stillness are perceived as more composed, credible, and trustworthy. The effect is amplified when combined with calm vocal tone and centered body posture. Why Projecting Calm Matters at Work These behaviors may seem small, but their effects are anything but. In group settings, emotional states are highly contagious. The person who maintains composure can anchor the emotional tone of the entire room. This is especially critical in hybrid and remote environments, where subtle behavioral cues carry more weight. In my work with global leadership teams, I often see that those who can project calm consistently gain disproportionate influence, not through dominance but through stabilizing presence. In Biohacking Leadership, my book of science-based techniques for better leadership, I emphasize that influence is not about charisma alone. It is about biological signaling. When your own system is grounded, you help others self-regulate. That is what builds trust and followership in high-stakes moments. The bottom line is this: if you want to become the calmest person in the room, start with these three behaviors. Slow your exhale. Relax your face. Use stillness strategically. These tiny actions, grounded in the biology of behavior, can shift not only how you feel, but how others respond to you. And in leadership, that is the signal that often matters most.
