The CEO of 2022

2022 is upon us. Will it be a normal year? Irregular? Difficult? After 20 months of pandemic, we can be certain that 2022 will be full of both challenges and opportunities.

The CEO of 2022 needs to have the vision to see the year as almost the beginning of a new decade. In a world changed by the reality of the pandemic and all its consequences, the CEO’s own vision must be that of a general looking out over the battlefield. Germany’s Gen. Johannes Rommel is known as “The Desert Fox” for this vision. On the other hand, US Gen. George Patton is recognized for his strategic and tactical ability, without any appellation.

The fundamental task of the CEO in this soon-ending year of 2021 has been to steer the company or brand ship to a good port, but above all, to try and identify what the next year will be like.

The concept of time has been transformed in these 20 months. Having a short-, medium- and long-term vision is among the essential qualities of a CEO. This vision brings together experience, knowledge and intuition. The intelligence of a CEO, acquired through years of study and experience, means he is accustomed to seeing the immediate future as quickly as possible.

Therefore, in this vision, the CEO can and must always contribute to the company's approach. This constitutes his or her No. 1 mission.

Organizations demonstrate their nature according to the mark imprinted on it by CEOs. The whole body clearly depends on the quality, vision, ethics and efficiency of the head. The CEO is the soul and the brain of the company and at the beginning of every workday, he/she must remember this and put it into practice.

This attitude requires humility and prudence; humility to position himself in the right place, encouraging each person and each area, and prudence to make decisions, knowing that the ship is in your hands and you have to navigate the ups and downs of the ocean.

Humility does not mean keeping your head down but keeping it up, knowing who you are and who others are. Prudence does not mean indecision or delay, but opportunity and intelligence.

The concept of a CEO goes beyond titles and reverence. It is not reduced to noble recognitions. Companies remember those CEOs who accompany their employees in everything they do and experience on a daily basis. They are interested in their work, their job satisfaction, their family, their health. Gestures of closeness and support bring out the best in those who report to them. Being a good person will always be the first step to becoming a good CEO.

2022 will be demanding. It may be a long year. The journey will always be more accurate and stable if the general knows where he is going, with whom he is going and how he is going to get there.

Next year may be a great year for CEOs, where only the most complete will make a difference and become themselves a brand to follow and learn from.