Tuesday, October 13, 2026

October Research, LLC CEO and Publisher Erica Meyer is stepping in as a guest blogger this week.

Let’s be honest. From the outside looking in, being a CEO might seem like a pretty good gig. You get to make the decisions, set the direction, have the corner office (if you’re lucky) and occasionally enjoy a lunch without someone scheduling a meeting over it.

Sounds pretty good, right? Well, let me pull back the curtain a little.

For those of you who know me, you know I’m a Type A personality. I like to move fast, solve problems, challenge the status quo and, yes, have a plan. Preferably Plans A, B and C. And if we’re being completely honest, I’ve probably already started thinking about Plan D.

I’m also a small-business owner. And while I absolutely love what I do, there are nights when my brain decides that 2 a.m. is the perfect time to hold an executive strategy meeting. Attendance is mandatory. Unfortunately, I’m the only one invited.

The weight behind the title

As CEOs, we walk into the office each day with a smile, a positive attitude and a clear sense of direction. Our teams look to us for confidence, stability and answers. Even when we don’t have all the answers, we need to provide the leadership that keeps everyone moving forward. But behind that confident exterior, there is a lot going on.

Are we growing fast enough? Are we investing in the right technologies? How do we protect profitability while continuing to invest in our employees? Are we developing our next generation of leaders? Are we doing enough to protect our business from cybersecurity threats? What happens if the economy takes another unexpected turn? And, of course, the question that seems to be on every CEO’s mind these days: Are we moving fast enough with artificial intelligence (AI), or are we about to be left behind?

Apparently, I’m not alone in these late-night conversations with myself.

According to PwC’s 2026 Global CEO Survey, only 30% of CEOs are very or extremely confident about their company’s revenue growth over the next 12 months, down from 38% just one year earlier. That’s a significant amount of uncertainty sitting in executive offices around the world. Forty-two percent identify keeping pace with technological change, including AI, as their top concern. And 31% view cybersecurity as a major threat, but for those of us in the real estate industry, that risk feels especially acute. We protect one of the largest transactions most Americans will make in their lifetime.

Those are some pretty sobering numbers. And that’s before we’ve even had our morning coffee.

But here’s what I think gets lost in all the conversations about revenue, profitability, growth strategies and market conditions. It’s not just about the people on our payroll.

When I look around our office, I don’t just see employees. I see the families who depend on them. I see spouses, children, aging parents and all the people who rely on that paycheck to help put dinner on the table, pay the mortgage, cover medical expenses and build a future.

Our responsibility doesn’t end with the number of people listed on our payroll. The decisions we make can ripple through households and families we may never meet. Think about that for a moment. A company with 25 employees doesn’t necessarily affect just 25 lives. It may affect 75, 100 or more people when you consider the families and loved ones who depend on those jobs.

That’s a responsibility I take very seriously. Knowing that my decisions affect more than the people sitting in our office changes how I think about growth, risk and the long-term health of the company.

Of course, as business owners, we have to make tough decisions. We need to protect profitability, manage expenses, adapt to changing markets and sometimes make choices that aren’t popular. That’s part of the job. But those decisions are never just numbers on a spreadsheet. There are real people behind them. And that is what can keep a CEO up at night.

You can’t do it alone. And you shouldn’t.

Now, here’s where my Type A personality and I have had a few disagreements over the years.

I like to get things done. I like results. And I have been known to think that if something needs to happen, the fastest route may be to roll up my sleeves and tackle it myself. Any other Type A personalities nodding along?

But one of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a business owner is that success isn’t about having all the answers or doing everything yourself. It’s about surrounding yourself with the right people. Not just people who agree with you. In fact, I would argue that the people willing to challenge your thinking are some of the most valuable individuals you can have on your team.

You need strategic thinkers who can see what’s coming around the corner. You need doers who can turn big ideas into results. You need people who bring different perspectives, ask difficult questions and aren’t afraid to tell you when your brilliant idea might not be quite so brilliant. Yes, even CEOs need to hear that occasionally.

Having the right people around me has also meant learning when to step in and, perhaps more importantly, when to step back. The strongest leadership teams aren’t built around one person having all the answers. They’re built around people who trust one another, challenge one another and share responsibility for moving the business forward. And when you have that kind of team, something pretty remarkable happens. The weight gets a little lighter.

You can spend more time looking ahead instead of constantly putting out fires. You can make better decisions because you’re hearing different perspectives. Ultimately, you can build a business that isn’t dependent on one person to keep everything moving.

There’s another side to being a CEO that doesn’t always make it into leadership books or conference presentations. We don’t talk about it enough. It’s the emotional side.

It’s worrying about an employee going through a difficult time. It’s wondering whether you’re providing enough opportunities for your team to grow. It’s questioning whether you’ve made the right decision. It’s celebrating a business win while already thinking about the next challenge.

And sometimes, it’s simply being exhausted from carrying the responsibility of it all. Part of leadership is learning how to carry that weight without making your team carry all of your worry with you. Still, for all of the weight that comes with leadership, the work can be tremendously rewarding.

The reward is watching an employee develop into a leader. It’s seeing your team rally together during a difficult period. It’s celebrating a milestone that once seemed impossible. It’s knowing you’ve created a workplace where people can build careers, support their families and feel proud of what they accomplish.

Those are the moments that make the sleepless nights worth it.

So, the next time you see your CEO, remember: that confident smile may be covering a dozen different thoughts about the economy, customers, employees, technology and what tomorrow might bring.

And if your CEO happens to be a Type A personality, you can probably multiply those thoughts by three. We do like to overachieve.

But behind all the planning, worrying and decision-making is something much bigger than a title or a corner office. It’s the responsibility of building something that matters, creating opportunities for others and making sure the people who depend on your business have the tools for success.

For me, that’s what leadership is really about. And while I can’t promise I’ll stop holding those 2 a.m. strategy meetings with myself, I can tell you this: Having a strong team of strategic thinkers and doers around me makes all the difference.

Because at the end of the day, a CEO may carry the ultimate responsibility, but building a successful business should never be a solo performance.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a Plan D to revisit.

 

Until Next Time,

Erica