When you’re at the helm of a billion-dollar corporation, stress is part of the package — so CEOs are turning to personal rituals and deliberate routines to stay sharp and avoid burnout. Ivan Espinosa, CEO of Japanese auto giant Nissan, valued at $8.5 billion, relaxes by playing with his band and playing tennis on the weekends.
“How do I manage stress? Well, I try to stay myself,” Espinosa said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal. “I like to play tennis on the weekends. If I can’t, I play golf. And I’m also a musician.”
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The Mexican executive joined Nissan in 2003 as a product specialist in the planning division in Mexico; After rising through the ranks and holding leadership roles in Thailand and Europe, Espinosa eventually moved to Nissan’s global headquarters in Japan in 2016. He also held a number of leadership roles before taking on the role of CEO in April last year.
Throughout an intense career like Espinosa’s — passing through different countries and taking on increasingly greater responsibilities — stress inevitably appears. Still, reconnecting with yourself through music and exercise has kept your cortisol level in check.
“I like playing the drums, so I have a band; every now and then we get together and play for a while,” continued the Nissan leader. “It helps me stay authentic and true to myself.”
How Leaders Manage Stress: Meditation and Beach Runs
CEOs are finding their own rhythms in dealing with the pressure of high-visibility, demanding roles in the business world.
Michael Tennant, founder and CEO of purpose-driven business development studio Curiosity Lab, has perfected a formula for combating stress. As soon as he wakes up, the executive meditates, writes in his diary and focuses on the most important task of the day.
He starts the day with creative and inspiring activities, and then moves on to more difficult and intense leadership tasks.
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“My morning routine is the most important part of my stress management,” Tennant told Fortune in 2023. “This routine gives me space to assess everything around me, set daily priorities, and take action to achieve them that very day.”
Adam Ross, co-founder of skin-care services company Heyday, wards off stress in the same “cathartic” way as Espinosa: with exercise.
And this is a common choice among business leaders; Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts CEO Alejandro Reynal makes physical activity a priority as he leads the billion-dollar luxury hotel chain.
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He starts his day with an early workout and combats burnout by taking time to find calm before the intense office routine.
“Routine helps me stay grounded: I start my mornings early, exercise or run on the beach, have breakfast with my family, and set aside some quiet time before the day begins,” Reynal told Harvard Business Review last year. “Much of the stress disappears when you reconnect with your purpose — and remember that what we do is about people, not pressure.”
Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos deals with stress in a completely different way. The businessman, whose fortune is estimated at US$268 billion, quickly faces his anxieties by sending an email or making a call to resolve the situation.
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“Stress comes mostly from not acting on something that you can, in some way, control,” Bezos told the Academy of Achievement in 2001.
“I find that once I identify it and make that first call, or send that first email, or whatever action I take to start dealing with the situation — even if it’s not resolved — the simple fact that I’m facing the problem dramatically reduces any stress that could arise.”
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