At Home This Weekend? Try This!
Steve Tappin
CEO of Beyond Unity | Co-author Awareness Code and Secrets of CEO's | Leadership Coach to Globally Award-Winning CEOs | Host of BBC CEO GURU | LinkedIn Influencer
Any readers who are staying at home this weekend, and are up for a bit of challenge and trying something new, read on.
I’ve been posting a lot of heavy stuff on CEOs and leadership recently, so thought it would be fun to bring to life what are the top CEOs’ favorite things to do outside work and on a weekend.
So here are 10 weekend challenges and ideas. For each one I have either included how top CEOs do it or what the CEO favorites’ are, drawn on research from a group of 200 CEOs whom I interviewed for my ‘Secrets of CEOs’ book. Just to warn you, there are some great suggestions and some not so great but funny ones!
Challenge #1: Turn off work phone, PC and other gadgets on Friday night for the entire weekend
What CEOs do:
Increasingly CEOs are disconnecting from their company and give an emergency number to their assistant so they can be contacted in the event of an emergency.
Challenge #2: Find a way of getting present early on the Friday evening that doesn’t include alcohol
What CEOs do:
Increasingly meditation, yoga, deep-tissue massages and going for a run are all good ways CEOs use to unwind.
Challenge #3: Watch an inspiring or classic movie
Most popular CEO movies:
The Godfather (most popular by far!), Dead Poets Society, The Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, Legends of the Fall, Pulp Fiction, Blues Brothers, Gone with the Wind, Zulu, Love Actually, The English Patient, Gandhi, A Beautiful Mind, Green Mile, The Deer Hunter, Lawrence of Arabia, Magnificent Seven, Ryan’s Daughter, Trading Places (ideal for CEOs!) & The Hangover.
Challenge #4: Read a great book from a genre you wouldn’t normally read
CEOs' favorite books:
‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, ‘Band of Brothers’ by Stephen Ambrose, ‘Long Walk To Freedom’ by Nelson Mandela, ‘Lord of the Rings’ by JRR Tolkien, ‘Bird Song’ by Sebastian Faulks, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ by Dan Brown, ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ by Louis de Bernières, ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ by J. D. Salinger, ‘50 Shades Of Grey’ by E.L. James (well it is about a CEO!)’
Challenge #5: Do something romantic for your partner and ask your family where they would like to go out and walk to
What CEOs do:
The spouses of CEOs’ biggest complaint is that the CEOs put all their energy into work at the expense of their relationship. CEOs favorite way to relax with family and get away from work is to go for a long walk.
Challenge #6: Book a vacation or a trip away
CEOs' favorite vacation destinations:
New York, Cape Town, Sydney, Maine, St Tropez, Napa Valley, Zanzibar, Aspen, Botswana, Mauritius, Cornwall, Rome , Venice and Courchevel.
Challenge #7: Get in touch with an old mate
What CEOs do:
Many CEOs had long-term friends before they became successful, but now wish that they could spend more time with them
Challenge #8: Try out some new music
CEOs’ favorite music *:
Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Beach boys, Coldplay, Beatles, Dire Straits, Green Day, Elvis, Sinatra, Kaiser Chiefs, Mozart, U2, George Michael, Elton John, Genesis, SuperTramp, Doors, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Anything Brazilian(!)
*Well remember most of them are in their 50s! Younger members of my team suggest: Drop Out Orchestra, Daft Punk, Disclosure, Bastille, Ellie Goulding & Phoenix
Challenge #9: Try a new hobby
CEOs’ favorite pastimes:
Golf, boating, climbing, fishing, watching sports, Formula 1, shooting, tennis, reading, scuba diving, Morris dancing & mowing the lawn
Challenge #10: Do a maximum of 15 minutes of prep notes on a Sunday night, so you are ready on Monday morning
Hope you found this a fun and interesting read, and are up for taking on a weekend challenge or trying out a few ideas.
Please let me know your thoughts and feel free to suggest in the comments section below any ways that you recommend to unwind from the working week and enjoy a balanced, happy life.
Enjoy your weekend!
Do follow me here on LinkedIn to get weekly updates on CEOs and the latest leadership insights.
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By Steve Tappin
Chief Executive, Xinfu, Host BBC CEO Guru & Founder, World Of CEOs
Steve is a personal confidant to many of the world’s top CEOs. He is the host of BBC ‘CEO Guru’, which features in-depth, on-the-record interviews with the CEOs of General Electric, Lenovo, WPP, China Vanke, Wholefoods and Unilever.
Founder Of WorldOfCEOs.com, Steve is the author of ‘The Secrets Of CEOs’, which interviews 200 CEOs on business life and leadership. His latest book, ‘Dream to Last’, was published in Mandarin in December 2012, by Beijing University Press, and will be released in English later this year.
To receive Steve’s weekly ‘CEO Insider’ email, sign up at:
Sounds like a plan to me! Have a good weekend everyone..
Senior Software Engineer - Native Mobile B2B Apps Developer
10yToo good
Fotograaf
10yEveryone is the CEO of his/her own life, so let's get started...
Educator-Speaker-Founder | Leading from your Inner Core
10ySteve Tappin, interesting thoughts. You could also consider taking your team out on a retreat. It's a great way to disconnect and let creative ideas flow freely from the team. My team at the Institute for Personal Leadership (http://bit.ly/123ZhQn) just came back from a 2-day retreat (http://bit.ly/19s6Eq9) with memorable team-building experiences. I strongly encourage this way of placing oneself in a new environment as an effective and energizing way to spend some weekends.
Co-Founder + President @ Watson
10yLove the 15-minute prep on Sunday night- it's great to get a head start on the week so you're ready to jump in Monday morning, but don't get over zealous