
In Final Stretch Of The Year, CEOs Push For Growth, Lean Into AI
Geopolitical conflict, trade disruption and policy whiplash have defined the first half of 2026. CEOs share where they’re putting their energy from here.
Chief Executive
Since 1977, Chief Executive has been the independent voice of the CEO community, helping America’s business leaders tackle their most pressing issues and plan for future growth.
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Analysis, research and perspectives from CEOs and experts.

Geopolitical conflict, trade disruption and policy whiplash have defined the first half of 2026. CEOs share where they’re putting their energy from here.

Tal Binder’s bad outcome on a major liquidity event sent him deep into the tax code—and out the other side with a company poised for growth.

The biggest opportunity is emerging before the search begins.

Know yourself, build teams for chemistry rather than individual star power, and use stories to give people perspective when the pressure is on.

M&A value creation is rarely linear, even with strong strategy and diligence. Success depends on disciplined execution, adaptability, stress-testing assumptions and maintaining flexibility throughout the integration process, especially when acquiring entrepreneurial, family-run businesses.

After a July pullback that saw manufacturing CEOs’ year-ahead outlook slip to its lowest level of the year, the sector is showing signs of recuperation in August.
CEO Confidence Index
Business conditions are better than CEOs expected a year ago, and their outlook for 2027 is improving. ‘Demand is surprisingly resilient.’
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Digital version of the latest articles published in Chief Executive.

CEOs are combating constant change by building stronger leadership teams, improving alignment and creating organizations that can win in any environment. Here’s how.

After years of sluggish activity, dealmaking is gaining momentum. From sourcing deals and closing valuation gaps to retaining talent and steering integration, experienced players share what works now.

A group of supply chain managers, operations leaders and COOs from mid-sized manufacturers sat down for a candid, off-the-record conversation about what’s really happening on the ground.

Expensive new obesity drugs are just the latest dilemma for companies trying to control health plan costs.

Your reflexive responses could be silencing the people you need to hear from most.

Nine cities and 14 events over four blurry months. With a moment to exhale, here are a handful of ideas that continue to stick with me.
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Geopolitical conflict, trade disruption and policy whiplash have defined the first half of 2026. CEOs share where they’re putting their energy from here.

Tal Binder’s bad outcome on a major liquidity event sent him deep into the tax code—and out the other side with a company poised for growth.

Know yourself, build teams for chemistry rather than individual star power, and use stories to give people perspective when the pressure is on.

Championship teams are not made by slogans, hierarchy or talent alone. They are made by great individuals who never stop learning.

Hard conversations are not a sign of poor leadership. They are evidence that a leader is committed to accountability, transparency and growth.

Our brains are often unreliable prediction machines. Here’s a four-part system for making decisions when the stakes are high and the picture is incomplete.

After a July pullback that saw manufacturing CEOs’ year-ahead outlook slip to its lowest level of the year, the sector is showing signs of recuperation in August.

Sakuu CEO shares insight into the company’s battery manufacturing process, and how new technologies are poised to shake up the industry.

Automation can make a factory faster. But speed only matters when the organization is strong enough to keep pace.

A group of supply chain managers, operations leaders and COOs from mid-sized manufacturers sat down for a candid, off-the-record conversation about what’s really happening on the ground.

Most U.S. manufacturers say demand is stronger than it was a year ago, but a softening 12-month outlook suggests CEOs are tempering their optimism for the future.

With alcohol consumption declining, many Maine brewers were sitting idle for days at time. Then CEO Jen Millard built a new opportunity for the industry.

M&A value creation is rarely linear, even with strong strategy and diligence. Success depends on disciplined execution, adaptability, stress-testing assumptions and maintaining flexibility throughout the integration process, especially when acquiring entrepreneurial, family-run businesses.

We’re making the same decisions with AI. But for leaders who ask different questions, AI changes the assignment.

Most organizations spend months on strategy but mere minutes on the signal. These important factors make brilliant ideas either transmit or disappear.

As fraud becomes ever more sophisticated, security needs are morphing. Here are the capabilities that matter most now.

To withstand the next trade-policy shock or chokepoint closure, CEOs need to institutionalize three disciplines.

While grants and funding programs have existed for decades, the way organizations approach them is beginning to change.

In a time of AI-assisted phantom fits and miscast hires, organizations need to bring back the personal touch.

Are your managers actually learning to lead or just learning to look like leaders?

From application through onboarding, does the hiring process reflect the culture and values your organization represents?

Great teams aren’t powered by solo heroes—they win when people over-communicate under pressure, drop the ego and rotate in and out of the lead so the whole system can move faster together.

The managers who miss their numbers aren’t your biggest concern. It’s the ones who appear to be doing just fine—while quietly driving disengagement and pushing high performers toward the exit.

By nurturing collaboration and its subfactors, you unlock the full potential of people, creating not just a culture of performance but one of shared success.

Geopolitical conflict, trade disruption and policy whiplash have defined the first half of 2026. CEOs share where they’re putting their energy from here.

We’re making the same decisions with AI. But for leaders who ask different questions, AI changes the assignment.

In a time of AI-assisted phantom fits and miscast hires, organizations need to bring back the personal touch.

As fraud becomes ever more sophisticated, security needs are morphing. Here are the capabilities that matter most now.

Why tomorrow’s CEOs must prepare for a world of tighter financing, fewer training grounds for talent and more consequential decisions.

‘None of these moves asks you to predict the future or bet the org chart. That’s what makes them so valuable in the face of today’s uncertainty.’

It’s an understandable goal to want to live as long a life as possible. But living longer may not be the same as living well. Here’s how to shift the focus.

The doctor running Mayo Clinic’s world-renowned Executive Health program on what’s really essential when it comes to preserving CEO healthspans. “Very few are doing those things right.”

From memory, creativity and cognition gains to powerful stress relief, there’s a lot to like—medically—about the great outdoors.

Left unchecked, it can lead to a host of chronic diseases. But there are ways to fight back.

To protect your immune system as you age, take steps to protect your overall health. A guide.

Paying attention to HRV values can be a helpful tool to learn about your body’s resilience level, how your lifestyle affects your stress and identify early signs of health challenges.

From weekly war-room meetings to testifying in D.C., Julie Robbins has spent the past year learning how to protect a creative manufacturer in a policy minefield—and how to bring employees and fans along.

There’s far more unknown than known about what happens next following the Supreme Court’s ruling. Here’s how to start figuring things out.

The Supreme Court just invalidated most of the president’s tariffs. Before you exhale, perhaps ask a few questions of your team.

Beyond the direct impact on prices, there are multiple effects anticipated on the supply chain, much like those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what to do.

Nearly half of the 300 CEOs surveyed polled this May also say they have already paused hiring or making major new investments in their business. ‘This is not the time to panic but to consciously refine.’

The supply chain uncertainty unleashed by the overhaul of tariff levels in the U.S. is having an immediate and direct impact on the warehousing sector.

Geopolitical conflict, trade disruption and policy whiplash have defined the first half of 2026. CEOs share where they’re putting their energy from here.

We’re making the same decisions with AI. But for leaders who ask different questions, AI changes the assignment.

In a time of AI-assisted phantom fits and miscast hires, organizations need to bring back the personal touch.

Why tomorrow’s CEOs must prepare for a world of tighter financing, fewer training grounds for talent and more consequential decisions.

‘None of these moves asks you to predict the future or bet the org chart. That’s what makes them so valuable in the face of today’s uncertainty.’

Organizations that treat connection as a metric, not a mood, may very well see the results in this age of AI, climate and societal disruption.
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