2025 CEO Study: Paradoxes and Ironies
I relish reading or discussing topics that make me think.
Not just the “ambulance chasing” of received wisdom and popular narrative, but critical analysis and questioning.
Stuart Winter-Tear posted just such a commentary about a publication I chew on every year, the IBM CEO Study.
“5 mindshifts to supercharge business growth”.
A cookbook for instant business success?
Thank you, Stuart, for raising the spectre of “paradoxes and ironies”.
But first, a result from the survey which I wholeheartedly endorse for everyone from the CEO to the newest entry level starter in the business.
Execution.
This is reported as the Number One characteristic that sets successful people (including CEOs) apart.
Executing Enterprise Strategy.
Thinking AND Doing.
The first paradox I read in the report is the rallying cry to CEOs to “Move fast, don’t break anything”.
A wonderful ideal – how do you achieve that?
The report states “CEOs want tech investments that strike the right balance between speed and stability”.
The challenge is always how fast to move without breaking anything critical.
“64% of CEOs say the risk of falling behind drives them to invest in some technologies before they have a clear understanding of the value they bring to the organization”.
Is that not the very definition of FOMO?
The report goes on to observe that “groundbreaking proofs-of-concept make headlines and give outsiders FOMO—fear of missing out—but they don’t always drive business results.”
Only 37% of CEOs say that, when it comes to technology adoption, it’s better to be fast and wrong than right and slow.
However, it appears that executives are cautious to assert opinions counter to the mainstream.
CEOs say they “expect AI to transform core business functions” but only 16% claim to be “all-in” on AI.
What else do we expect them to say in the current environment? The ambient narrative, irrespective of available evidence, has been shown to boost stock prices for a time.
I am reminded of a former colleague whose catchphrase was “What can’t speak, can’t lie” . . . What they meant was that “words are cheap” and we should observe actions, not just listen to the narrative.
65% of CEOs say establishing and maintaining customer trust will have a greater impact on their organization’s success than any specific product and service features.
And, across industries, customer loyalty is the key differentiating factor. So we should be careful of breaking things that may undermine that loyalty and trust.
Stuart picks on some of the specific paradoxes and ironies in the report;
- 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤-𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐬. 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
- 64% of CEOs say they must take more risks than their competitors to win… but only 37% are comfortable being “fast and wrong”.
- 𝐀𝐈 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐬. 𝐀𝐈 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
- CEOs expect AI to transform core business functions, yet 60% are still in pilot phases and just 16% of AI initiatives have scaled enterprise-wide.
- 𝐑𝐎𝐈 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐬. 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠
- The authors assert “ignore FOMO, lean into ROI,” yet 64% of CEOs admit they invest in technologies before understanding their value – a textbook case of FOMO.
- 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐯𝐬. 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
- Forecast accuracy is now a top CEO priority (a quest for stability), yet CEOs are told to embrace creative destruction, which inherently breeds unpredictability.
- 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥
- 67% of CEOs say differentiation depends on partnerships, yet many remain cautious about outsourcing or relinquishing control.
- 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬
- 72% say proprietary data is key to success, but 50% admit their approach is sub-optimal
The report is worth a read with a critical and thoughtful eye.
The desire to distil the essence of the “rock star CEO” has been evident for the past 30 years.
Food for thought . . . Maybe these paradoxes and ironies indicate broader anxieties about leadership.
Maybe we just need “lucky generals” . . .
You can read Stuart’s post “Paradoxes and Ironies” here . . . .
You can read the 2025 IBM CEO Study here . . . .
Thanks for reading . . . .
2025 CEO Study: Paradoxes and Ironies
