5 CEOs are brutally honest about leadership in today’s world

There is a unique energy that exists when you put five CEOs around a table. On our latest CEO Round Table Episode, he stood fully dynamic. I sat down with Danny Wartz (Chicago Black Hawks, Breakthrough Beverage), Ashley Thomson (Mashi), Greg Majuski (Crew Worthy Brands), Emily Griden (Sada Spring) and Luke Sanders (Farmer’s fridge or). Original Being CEO in today’s world means. It was an open, clear exchange of tough victory lessons, intestinal decisions and such self -reflection, which only come through the heights and the lower part.

One of the biggest routes to this debate was the emotional roller coaster of business and leadership. Everyone on the table shared stories about the personal weight of the company. Emily talked about how much he could feel lonely, and Danny emphasized that when you are on the driver’s seat, there is nowhere to hide, especially when you are the CEO of a professional sports team. Greg said in straight words: “This is not sexy.” These were not just war stories – they were reminded that leadership comes with a price, which cannot be measured in prices or press headlines.

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Was another powerful theme Let B (b (b ( Or at least, learning. Each of these leaders started their company or took over with a clear vision, but as their business increased, others need to trust. Luke talked about the complexity of the farmer’s refrigerator, and the moment he realized he could not do everything he could. The same emotions echoed all over the table. Ashley, who is now investing behind a big team and musk, talked about balance in hand -on energy with the maturity of leadership. This shows that development means abandoning control to gain speed.

We also searched for a unique pressure from the business facing consumers. The five leaders are selling something that you can touch, taste or experience – a product that depends on branding, shelf spaces and the emotions of consumers. Whether it is the old memories of the evergreen Wafles or the boldness of the Portfolio of the restaurant of the Curry Worthy, the founders who eat the American and how they feel about it. This means that high -speed feedback loops, hard margins and permanent adaptation. No one on the table is conducted by inflation, shortage of pain or labor shortage in the supply chain, but each of them is trying to create flexibility in their work.

One thing I didn’t expect – but maybe it should – how deep the conversation was. Greg described the accusation of startup life. Even after the massive success, how does the Impaster Syndrome ring, Ashley said. Danny talked not only a brand, but also a legacy. And Luke reminded us that start -up culture is not always a shelter for mental health that people think is so. There was a weakness in the room, and it made the dialogue more honest – and clearly more useful for everyone trying to understand modern leadership.

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As a moderator, my purpose was not to remove sound bytes. It was to give a place for complexity. It was not a panel of untouchable icon. These are the people who are visiting real -time decisions in dirty, evolutionary markets. The biggest lesson? Being a CEO today means knowing yourself as well as your P&L. Also, when you are the CEO of a large organization, you have a heavy responsibility to guide you with integrity, serve your employees and customers and use business for “good for”. Otherwise, what are we doing here?!