“My goal is to get work done during the first three hours of the day so that I can spend the afternoons with my family,” he says. “Dropped calls and intermittent connections make me crazy. We even put in high-speed, satellite Internet at our vacation home, which is in a remote area of Ontario.”
Connectivity can be more challenging for CEOs who enjoy remote venues. Steve Cody’s travels with his son Chris are typically spent 15,000 feet in the air clinging to the face of a rock—not exactly an ideal position from which to field a call from the office. However, that’s more or less the point, says the CEO of Peppercomm, who goes rock climbing with his son several times a year. “It’s the single best way to relax I’ve ever found. Sitting on a beach, I end up thinking about work, whereas being in a position where every step is critically important tends to force you to cleanse your mind of everything else.”
Like many CEOs, Cody plans ahead for stretches of inaccessibility by prepping his team and creating a contact plan in the event of a crisis. “When Chris and I were climbing the Andes in Ecuador, I was off the grid for three to four days at a stretch, so I alerted my business partners and my clients. We also put in place a way for them to reach our climbing guides who, in turn, can always reach me in a crisis.”
For time-pressed CEOs, sometimes the complexities of planning to be away seem trickier than travel planning itself. Yet, navigating vacation venues can be a significant source of pressure. After all, you’ve got to pick the perfect place, where you can realize an ambitious goal: to relax, recharge and reconnect as a family in one week flat—or maybe less.
Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of U.S. CEOs, senior executives and public-company directors, helping you grow your companies, build your communities and strengthen society. Learn more at chiefexecutivegroup.com.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
