1) LONG HOURS, LESS SLEEP: According to a 2018 Harvard Business Review study, CEOs work a punishing average of 62.5 hours a week. Gallup found that on average, salaried workers are toiling five more hours per week than full-time hourly workers (49 vs 44). The Sleep Institute says more than one-third of adults sleep less than the needed seven hours per night.

 

2) LESS PEOPLE: About 28% of Americans were laid off in the past two years. 400,000 people were laid off in the tech industry alone during that period. Which leads to…

 

3) FEAR: Because of those layoffs, people would very much like to keep their jobs. So the last thing they’re going to do is tell the CEO “Your idea sucks.”

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4) WEAK GUARDRAILS: Smaller head count means not enough bandwidth, cohesiveness, and cultural diversity to stop mistakes and bad ideas from getting through.

 

5) E-MAIL/MOBILE PHONES: Documents, screenshots and videos can be easily posted online and forwarded outside a company.

 

6) POLARIZING POLITICS: According to The Eurasia Group, the world’s number one risk in 2024 is “The United States vs. itself.” With special interest groups and partisan media on outrage hyperdrive, stepping on a landmine is easier than ever before.

7) DESIRE TO BE FUNNY: If you plan to do something where part of the end strategy is to say, "we were only joking," scrap it immediately.

 

8) COOLER HEADS DON’T PREVAIL: If a CEO is upset or emotional, nothing stands between them and the X app on their mobile phone, day or night.