As company leaders, you spend a significant portion of your day sitting—at your desk, on the phone, in meetings, in cars, even on planes. It’s important to remember to get up out of those seats and move around. Equally as important as the physical benefits, being active keeps the brain sharp and reduces stress.
Here are 10 ways business leaders are powering up to power down.
1. Walking. Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and President Barack Obama are just some of the people who have made “walking meetings” famous. But some CEOs, like Terry Neal, CEO of Toledo, Ohio-based Impact Products, prefer to walk alone to reflect and power down after a busy day. “I try not to think about work or anything that needs my attention at the moment,” Neal says.
2. Working with their hands. Jim Merryman, President and COO of Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc., says that keeping his hands busy puts his mind in relax mode. “Since I have an engineering background, the physical exercise that keeps my mind sharp is fabricating things for myself and others. It can be as simple as a flower pot holder or as complex as a floating ramp for a boat dock or even a car part,” he says. “My full-time job requires such mental focus that it’s great to have physical, fun things to contrast that.”
3. Feeding the need for speed. Merryman also loves racing cars. “The G forces on the body keeps me in shape and make my adrenaline go up and down so many times it burns calories.”
4. Golf/tennis. Ninety percent of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf. Alan Mulally, former CEO of Ford, is a competitive tennis and golf player. These sports are just as much, if not more, for the business benefits, as they are for the exercise. As in Mulally’s case, they can also foster a CEO’s competitive spirit.
5. Outdoor/Nature Sports. Tyler Mobius, CEO of Adconion, says after a day at the office what he wants most is to get outdoors. He paddle surfs, runs trails, mountain bikes and rock climbs, according to Forbes. His secret to finding time for himself? “Getting less sleep.”
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.
