Chief Executive’s Top Stories Of 2022

In the annals of years, 2022 is likely to go down as one of the most unpredictable and uncertain periods of time since at least, oh, 2021 or 2020. From inflation fears to recession fears, talent to tech, the world of business was lit up with burning issues that kept us all engaged and then some.

It’s a good time to take stock of what Chief Executive readers were most interested in throughout the year. Here are our five most read stories of 2022:

1. Leading Through Inflation: A Playbook by Ram Charan. Early in 2022, the well-known advisor to companies and CEOs around the world partnered with Chief Executive to create an exclusive primer to help leaders through this new environment. The 11-part project, totaling nearly 10,000 words, was far and away the most-read work of the year and among the most-read in our history. A vastly-expanded version Charan’s Playbook is now available as a book.

2. Benioff’s Way: A Conversation With Salesforce Founder and 2022 CEO of the Year Marc Benioff. Our interview with the founder of Salesforce was shared widely across social media—especially LinkedIn—where many saw it as an unusually deep dive into the practical underpinnings of Benioff’s push to change the traditional shareholder model of capitalism, as well as a candid look at how he operates one of the most disruptive companies of the last 25 years.

3. Best and Worst States for Business. Chief Executive’s annual survey of where CEOs most like—and most dislike—to do business was once again a hit with readers. Texas topped the list (again) but Florida—and rising GOP superstar governor Ron DeSantis—was right behind. Meanwhile, the biggest story of the year was shaping up in the nation’s heartland, where Ohio’s new Intel plant put them at the center of a multibillion-dollar wave in technology investment cresting far from the nation’s coasts.

4. Emotional Intelligence Has Never Been More Important For Leaders. EQ doesn’t come naturally to everyone—even the best leaders, wrote Melissa Powell, the COO of Genesis HealthCare, a network of 250 facilities across 22 states. She shared five key components to work on developing the muscle.

5. Jim Collins On Thriving In Chaos. What does it take to create a truly great, lasting company amid historic uncertainty and volatility? Based on decades of research, Jim Collins, best-selling author of the business classics Good to Great, Built to Last and Great by Choice, has some answers, which he shared with Chief Executive readers in this challenging guide for challenging times.