Why CEO wellbeing belongs on the board agenda

Writer: Sanna Juva

We say we want visionary, high-performing CEOs. But are we creating conditions for them to thrive—or just to survive?

Boards expect growth. Shareholders expect returns. Employees expect direction and steadiness. A CEO is expected to hold all of that together—decisively, continuously, and without missteps. But behind the role sits a person whose wellbeing isn’t a soft topic. It’s a hard driver of performance and continuity.

The CEO Survey 2025 by Chief Executive Search reveals a telling trend: CEO tenures are shortening. Between 2023 and 2025, 45% of listed companies in Finland appointed a new CEO. Yes, markets shift and cycles turn. But this level of turnover points to something deeper: a structural gap in how we support leadership.

Picture by Unslpash, v2osk

Are we building CEOs who can lead sustainably—or CEOs who simply endure until they can’t?

We often evaluate leadership through strategy, results, and shareholder value. Yet we rarely examine the foundations that enable a CEO to perform at that level: clarity, resilience, mental health, and long-term capacity. Research consistently shows that CEO wellbeing—especially psychological health—is tied to company outcomes, the size of the organizations they lead, and the length of their tenure. In smaller companies, the CEO’s mental health even correlates with financial performance.

CEOs often feel responsible for the reputation and mood of the entire organization. That weight can be overwhelming—especially when coupled with the expectation to appear strong, capable, and always in control. This pressure is rarely acknowledged, yet it shapes how CEOs experience their role and how sustainable their leadership truly is.

Wellbeing isn’t only about avoiding burnout—it’s about enabling clarity, stamina, and presence. A healthy CEO leads better, decides better, and shows up for their people. And they model something essential: performance and wellbeing aren’t opposites, one enables the other.

How board chairs can actively support CEO wellbeing

1. Make wellbeing a legitimate topic

Introduce it into regular board–CEO conversations. Not as a check-the-box question, but as an honest inquiry into how the CEO is doing as a person. That alone can shift a culture from quiet endurance to open dialogue.

2. Protect time for reflection

CEOs don’t just need time to act; they need time to think. Back their efforts to step out of the operational whirlwind for strategic reflection, rest, and renewal. It’s not indulgence—it’s leadership work.

3. Create clarity

One of the greatest gifts a board chair can offer is clarity of priorities and expectations. Ambiguity drains a CEO’s energy. Clarity gives it back, enabling focus, momentum, and better decisions.

4. Model sustainable leadership

When board chairs share their own ways of managing pace, pressure, and recovery, they show that wellbeing isn’t separate from leadership—it’s part of it. That example matters more than we often acknowledge.

5. Guarantee access to real support

Executive coaching, health services, confidential peer networks—these are not “nice-to-haves”, they can be an essential part of enabling performance. Boards should ensure the CEO has access to them, without stigma or hesitation.

+ Tip for the CEO: Your wellbeing is not optional—it’s part of your job. As many of the CEOs have noticed, the CEO role is a marathon, not a sprint. If you burn through all your mental and physical reserves in the first stretch, how will you lead through the journey ahead? Sustainable leadership starts with you.

The CEO role will never be simple. But it doesn’t have to be isolating or unsustainable. Boards that treat wellbeing as a strategic priority don’t just protect a leader—they invest in the long-term health of the company. It’s time to put CEO wellbeing where it belongs: on the board agenda.

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For CEOs who wish to explore their own growth and strengthen their leadership partnerships, Henley Business School’s CEO 360 Programme launches in early 2026 — designed exclusively for CEOs and future CEOs who understand that leading a company begins with leading oneself.

Sanna Juva |Associate Partner| sanna.juva@chief.fi | +358 40 725 6574