Hi,
I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the top 5 answers:
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Dr. Edwin Olson is the founder and CEO of May Mobility, the company developing and operating autonomous vehicle and robotaxi services
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“Saying no to a high-profile partnership.
A prominent Fortune 500 company became a major strategic partner for a robotics project I was running, and they invested money into it. Along with their support came the expectation that I should use one of their products in my programme. I spent about six months trying to integrate their product – it absorbed every minute of every day. I had this endless list of problems and integration challenges, and just couldn’t get the sponsor's product to work as needed.
Approaching a deadline, I had to tell the sponsor I could not spend more time and resources on their product; we would have to move forward without it. I offered them their money back, even though it would have been the end of our project. Telling them “no” was one of the most awful moments I’ve ever experienced, because it put a valuable relationship at risk, and we really needed the money to keep this programme alive.
Although the project sponsor was not happy, they didn't take the money back because they believed in what we were doing, and saw that I had made a real attempt at integrating their product.
Having said “no” and continued forward, I’m proud to say the programme I initiated continues to exist today. Failing on a commitment felt awful, but it has helped me to be more strategic about when and how much I allow third parties to dictate how a product is built or a programme is run.
Sometimes, you need to be willing to sacrifice some money or affect your reputation to arrive at the best solutions. In the long run, the freedom to develop solutions based on merit and practicality rather than sponsorships or investments will drive greater success.”
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Julie Chen is the founder and CEO of Cheeky Panda, the sustainable tissue brand made using bamboo |
“Wearing a panda hat to serious business meetings. Yes, an actual panda hat.
In the early days of building my company, I started wearing it to trade shows and business networking events. At first, it was just a bit of fun. We were a small challenger brand surrounded by giant corporates with glossy stands and very serious-looking executives. The hat made people smile. It made us approachable. Most importantly, it made us memorable.
Not everyone loved it – and I was gently advised to drop the hat if I wanted to be taken seriously. As we scaled, I questioned: “Is this the moment I grow up the hat?”
But then I realised, building a brand is about owning who you are. Rather than being silly, the panda hat was about confidence. It broke the ice, sparked conversations, and instantly communicated that we weren’t just another faceless company.
Leadership can take many different forms. Sometimes it looks like a CEO in a panda hat, completely comfortable in her own skin. I’d wear it again in a heartbeat.”
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Andrew Peek is the founder and CEO of Tilt, a financial technology company building the next generation of custom indexing infrastructure for the narrative-driven future of investing. He's a four-time fintech and SaaS entrepreneur who has built and exited both venture-backed companies and a quantitative hedge fund |
“Radically changing tack when things got tough.
When the zero interest-rate era ended and rates began rising at a pace not seen in decades, many businesses started to wobble – ours being one of them. Our acquisition costs doubled, the performance of our machine learning investment strategy fell dramatically, and as a result, our economics turned south.
On paper, we were a $350 million dollar business that, just weeks ago, was tracking to $13 million in annualised revenue. Reality though, was hitting harder by the day.
As I saw it, we had three options. One: persevere through this new macroenvironment and try to clear our next valuation hurdle (~$1 billion). Another was to acknowledge that the situation won’t reverse anytime soon, and call it a day on six years of hard work with nothing to show for our efforts.
Or: take stock of the company’s IP, carve each piece into its own product, spin each product out into four new ventures, and send the team in different directions. In effect, start all over again from ground zero. Not one, but ten steps back... for two forward.
Which is what we did. Sitting here now, some two years later, and seeing the strength of character and the bonds created across our team, I can honestly say that despite the outcome (which looks more promising than ever), it made me realise that most of what we sign up for is the journey. The harder the road, the greater the pride you feel when looking in the rearview.”
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James Fleming, co-founder and managing director of The Power Within Training, the UK-based leadership training and development company specialising in Motivational Intelligence (MQ)
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“Leadership sometimes means making tough calls and being misunderstood in the moment, but it can pay off long-term, as I found out.
In the early days of our business, when we were growing and fighting for survival, I made the call to walk away from certain clients who didn't align with our values. On paper, we needed them – they would have brought in cash flow we so desperately lacked. But the way they treated their people and their lack of integrity clashed with everything [co-founder] Enas and I stood for.
At the time, it felt like I was being reckless, even selfish. People told me I was mad to turn away money when we were barely getting by. It made me feel like a villain, particularly when pressure was getting to our team and we could have used the income.
But eventually, that decision protected our culture. It preserved our credibility and allowed us to stay true to what we stand for: ownership, resilience, and authenticity. Looking back, I'd make the same call a thousand times over.
Sometimes leadership means you're the villain in the short-term story but the hero in the long-term one. So I'll always defend that.”
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Bethany Eaton is the founder and director of Met Foods, which includes dairy-free brands Nush and Cocos Organic
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“Introducing more protein into our recipe. When we decided to pivot with my brand Nush from being purely a dairy-free almond milk yoghurt to positioning ourselves as a naturally high-protein, dairy-free yoghurt, it ruffled some feathers.
There were a selection of our existing customers who didn’t love the change, but I could clearly see a gap in the market for a product that actually delivered on taste, texture, and nutrition.
I spent two years redeveloping the product – balancing nutrition, price, ingredients, quality, and flavour, to make sure we got it absolutely right. It was a big risk, and there were moments where it felt uncomfortable to move away from what was familiar, but it paid off.
The new range has resonated with consumers, we’ve gained a new audience while keeping many of our loyal customers, and the brand now has a clear direction with exciting new products in the pipeline. It finally feels like we’ve found our stride, and Nush is in a real phase of growth and momentum.”
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Talk soon,
Steven