Joe Galvin
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SMB Thought Leader, Analyst, Speaker and Chief Research Officer at Vistage
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Articles by Joe Galvin
Any Strategic Planning Without AI Is Already Obsolete
Strategic Planning According to Vistage research, almost 50% of CEOs have not built AI into their strategic planning, yet 76% use generative AI daily. That gap is a vulnerability. For many leaders, AI is just a tool. They’re using it in pockets — individual workflows and workgroup projects. Few have embedded it into their strategic planning process as a structural requirement. But competitors are beginning to — and customers expect it.
Vistage vs. Hudson Institute of Coaching
Chair Experience Some executives are drawn to coaching because they have wisdom to share. The most prepared ones build their credentials before they step into the room. If you’re considering a transition into executive coaching, two names may have already come up: the Vistage Chair role and the Hudson Institute of Coaching certification. Each serves different purposes, develops different capabilities and appeals to executives at different points in their coaching journey.
CEOs Are Using AI, but Few Are Planning for What Comes Next
AI isn’t just changing the game. It’s changing the business plan. Most CEOs use generative AI regularly, but few are planning for it. For many, AI is a tool deployed just in pockets, like individual workflows and workgroup projects. Few have embedded it into their planning process as a structural requirement. However, competitors are beginning to do this, and customers expect it. Every planning cycle that passes without addressing it widens the competitive gap.
Vistage vs. TIGER 21: Choosing the Right Peer Network for Your Stage of Leadership
Member Experience Vistage and TIGER 21 are both invitation-only peer advisory organizations built around confidential monthly group meetings, but the similarities largely end there. While TIGER 21 is designed for ultra-high-net-worth individuals focused on preserving wealth after a liquidity event, Vistage is built for CEOs actively running and scaling $5M+ businesses. If you’re evaluating Vistage vs.
How Leadership Development Can Boost Employee Retention
Talent Management Imagine a tennis ball screaming over the net at 99 mph. Unsupported and unprepared, a player’s brain may flood with “fight or flight” anxiety. But with the right leadership on the sidelines, an athlete can visualize the shot — and the one after that — with clarity and creativity. It all comes down to how well they’ve been coached. “Coaching unlocks a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.
Strategic Planning for Business Growth: A Framework for CEOs
Strategic Planning Running a growing company and growing it strategically are two different skills. You can hit your numbers this quarter, manage your team and keep operations moving, and still find yourself with no clear path forward in 3 years.
Top CEO Coaching Programs, 2026 List
Member Experience Finding the right CEO coaching program can be the difference between stagnation and exponential growth. Business leaders invest significant resources in peer advisory groups and executive coaching, yet not all programs deliver equal value. We analyzed the CEO coaching landscape using a proprietary weighted algorithm that evaluates 5 critical factors that directly impact leadership development ROI and long-term business transformation.
How to Plan a Strong Business Exit Strategy
Exit Planning Every business owner will eventually exit their company. The only question is whether it happens on your terms or someone else’s. For CEOs and business owners of $5M+ companies, the stakes are particularly high. Your business represents the majority of your wealth, your legacy, and decades of hard work. Yet according to research, only 42% of business owners have a formal transition plan in place¹. The rest are vulnerable to forced exits, diminished valuations, and lost opportunities.
Vistage vs. Traditional Leadership Development
Member Experience Your ability to grow the business ultimately depends on your ability to grow the leaders who run it. Leadership development isn’t a learning initiative. It’s a growth strategy. Most CEOs already invest in leadership development. The CEO Confidence Index found that 87% of CEOs invest in leadership development or training. So the question isn’t whether to invest.
AI Governance Does More Than Protect. It Powers Collaboration.
Technology Major technology waves usually follow the same arc. There’s a quick, obvious, and contagious upside early. Then the problems follow. The internet gave businesses global reach, fast communication and previously unimaginable access to information – along with data breaches and security risks that nobody could have anticipated. Organizations scrambled to catch up with firewalls, acceptable use policies and IT oversight. Generative AI is following a similar pattern.
The AI Race Has a Hidden Problem: Nobody Agreed on the Rules
AI moved faster than company policies could keep up. Now governance has to catch up. Major technology waves usually follow the same arc. There’s a quick, obvious, and contagious upside early. Then the problems follow. The internet gave businesses global reach, fast communication, and previously unimaginable access to information — along with data breaches and security risks that nobody could have anticipated.
5 Signs Your Company Isn’t Built to Win
Leadership Most CEOs don’t have a strategy problem. They have a biology problem. I thought that sounded ridiculous too, until I watched another smart executive team spend 6 months building a great strategic plan, then quietly let fear, ego, politics, bureaucracy, and tool worship strangle it.
Why Every Business Owner Should Unplug … And How It Can Lead to a Better Exit
Exit Planning Every year, I speak to hundreds of business owners about exit planning. And every year, when I tell them they should completely unplug from their companies — meaning no emails, no calls, no “checking in” for at least two weeks at a time, multiple times a year — the room reacts the same way. Disbelief. Pushback. Occasionally something close to alarm.
Vistage Chair vs. Center for Executive Coaching
Chair Experience For accomplished leaders ready to channel decades of hard-won wisdom into coaching others, two paths consistently rise to the top: the Vistage Chair role and the Center for Executive Coaching (CEC) certification program. They aren’t rivals. They aren’t even really alternatives to one another. In fact, CEC and Vistage share a relationship that reflects how well the two complement each other. What they offer differs in structure, purpose, and scope.
Current Economic Climate Dampens CEO Confidence [Q2 2026 Vistage CEO Index]
Economic / Future Trends While CEO confidence has climbed out of that trough of last year’s low in Q2 2025, the slow descent in confidence continued this quarter, and the causes run deeper than the usual macro headwinds. The Vistage CEO Confidence Index declined to 84.2 in Q2 2026, down 3 points from 87.2 in Q1, but ahead of last year’s recent low of 77.2. Looking across the last 2 years of data, we see a new status quo emerge.
Nov. 13 Webinar | Business Trends for 2027 and Beyond
Economic / Future Trends As CEOs plan for 2027, they continue to navigate the new realities that shape how companies compete, including global uncertainty and constant change. Rapid advancements in AI, shifting workforce dynamics, constant instability, and economic uncertainty are all underlying factors to consider when planning for the future.
Why Most CEO Time Management Advice Fails
Productivity & Execution Olenka Cullinan grew up the daughter of a serial entrepreneur in Russia. Her mom ran a manufacturing company and grew it to more than 300 employees, becoming a model for business success. But when it came to successful parenting, that was a different story. Cullinan remembers rarely seeing her mom, other than for a quick kiss goodbye in the mornings. It was her mom’s driver who often took Cullinan to school or to after-school activities.
Proven Business Growth Strategies
Strategic Planning Whether you’re scaling from $5 million to $25 million or navigating a plateau after years of strong performance, the most effective CEOs share a common thread: they pursue growth deliberately, with structured strategy and the right people around them. This article breaks down the business growth strategies that consistently deliver results for CEOs, founders, and business owners who lead complex organizations.
Leadership Development Investment: How to Get the Greatest Return
Talent Management When it comes down to it, leadership development is a capital allocation decision. CEOs scrutinize capital expenditure, technology investments, and merger and acquisition opportunities. But leadership development is often treated as an expense rather than a strategic investment.
AI Is Moving Fast. Most CEOs Aren’t Ready for It
Fast AI adoption, slow governance. What could go wrong? The explosion of AI has been rapid and widespread. Vistage’s recent research shows 76% of CEOs and their executive teams actively engage with generative AI. Similarly, more than half of workgroups use AI workflows. Some employees are building agents, automating workflows, and solving problems on their own, while others randomly dabble applying browser behaviors to Gen AI.
How to Value a Business for Sale
Financials Knowing what your business is worth isn’t something you should save for the moment you decide to sell. It’s a strategic asset you should carry into every major decision you make as a leader. Whether you’re preparing for an exit, navigating a partner buyout, or simply benchmarking your progress against where you want to go, a credible valuation shapes how you negotiate, plan, and lead.
Forget Build vs. Buy: Why CEOs Are Choosing ‘DIY AI’ Solutions
Technology CEOs often get the nickname “Chief Decision Maker” because they are regularly expected to make judgment calls about the future of their business. One of the most common is whether to build software or “buy” it. From solving workplace-level challenges to implementing organization-wide transformation, it’s on them to determine whether their organization will create something from the ground up or purchase an existing offering from a vendor.
How to Increase EBITDA with Proven Strategies
Financials EBITDA remains the single most critical metric CEOs use to evaluate operational performance and business value. For leaders of growth-stage companies, improving EBITDA isn’t just about short-term profitability. It’s also about building a more valuable, resilient organization that can scale efficiently while maximizing strategic options. The relationship between EBITDA and enterprise value is multiplicative, not additive.
What to Do After an Exit: From Founder to Mentor
Chair Experience You’ve done the work. You’ve built the company, navigated the challenges and made it through your exit. Now you’re facing a question most successful founders never see coming: What’s next? After selling your business, the initial relief gives way to something unexpected. You have time, freedom and a wealth of knowledge, but no outlet for it. You’re too experienced to start from scratch, too energized to step away entirely and too seasoned to waste your hard-earned lessons.
Why Smart CEOs Are Choosing ‘DIY AI’ Instead of Build or Buy
AI is turning workers into builders overnight. CEOs often get the nickname “chief decision maker” because of how regularly they are expected to make judgment calls on behalf of the future of their business. One of the most common is whether to “build” or “buy” software. From solving workplace-level challenges to implementing organization-wide transformation, it’s on them to determine whether their organization will create something from the ground up or purchase an existing offering from a vendor.
5 AI Governance Gaps CEOs Must Close
Technology Your employees are already using AI. The question is whether they’re doing it with guardrails or without them. In boardrooms across the country, CEOs tell me some version of the same story: “We know AI is important, but we haven’t gotten around to a formal policy yet.” That gap between awareness and action is where risk lives. AI governance — the policies, oversight structures, and guardrails that determine how your organization uses AI responsibly — is no longer a strategic luxury.
Technology It seems like every headline mentions AI these days, and for good reason. Eighty-four percent of small and midsize businesses have already deployed Gen AI tools to their organizations. That number should not surprise anyone, as adoption is both top-down, with CEO adoption at 76%, and organizational adoption widespread. What should give every CEO pause is the fact that only 22% have a comprehensive governance policy in place. AI adoption isn’t happening because CEOs mandated it.
Provide and Protect: The CEO’s Role in AI Governance
Technology It seems like every headline mentions AI these days, and for good reason. Eighty-four percent of small and midsize businesses have already deployed Gen AI tools to their organizations. That number should not surprise anyone, as adoption is both top-down, with CEO adoption at 76%, and organizational adoption widespread. What should give every CEO pause is the fact that only 22% have a comprehensive governance policy in place. AI adoption isn’t happening because CEOs mandated it.
Top Leadership Coaching Companies, 2026 List
Member Experience Finding the right leadership coaching partner is one of the most consequential decisions a CEO or senior executive can make. With more organizations than ever investing in leadership development, the field has grown crowded. To help you cut through the noise, we evaluated 8 of the top companies using a weighted ranking methodology grounded in 5 key performance factors. Here is the definitive list for 2026.
Best Executive Development Programs, 2026 List
Member Experience When you’re running a company, the quality of the thinking around you determines the quality of the decisions you make. Executive development programs exist to close the gap between where leaders are today and where their organizations need them to be. But not all programs deliver the same return. This guide evaluates 8 of today’s top executive development programs using a 5-factor weighted algorithm.
How One Wine Importer Fought Tariffs at the Supreme Court — and Won
Leadership For nearly 40 years, Victor Owen Schwartz, founder of New York-based VOS Selections — an importer and distributor of wine, spirits, sake, and non-alcoholic beverages — has set his portfolio apart by sourcing products that aren’t easily found at the wine store down the street.
The Best Leadership Advice CEOs Learned from Their Moms
Leadership There’s a certain kind of advice that sticks with you for life. It’s the kind you hear at the kitchen table, on the way out the door, or in the middle of a hard day. Somehow, it keeps showing up when you need it the most. For many leaders, some of their earliest and most enduring lessons didn’t come from mentors or management books, but from their moms.
Top Mastermind Groups for CEOs, 2026 List
Member Experience Recently, our research team studied the top mastermind groups for CEOs and executive leaders. We analyzed over 40 organizations using the following weighted factors: Years in Operation (22%): Longevity signals proven value and organizational stability. Global Membership Size (20%): Larger networks offer broader peer perspectives and deeper benchmarking opportunities. Published Member Outcomes and ROI Data (20%): Documented results demonstrate real-world impact for members.
Modern CEO Burnout: Breaking the Fatigue Loops of a Hyper-Connected World
Wellness Burnout has evolved. Despite better tools, more data, and increased outreach and support, burnout among today’s CEOs is increasing. Modern CEO burnout involves more than just workload — it’s driven by digital overload, constant accessibility, and AI-accelerated decision cycles. In an era of hyper-connected leadership, the pressure is different, and it demands a fundamentally new approach to managing energy, focus, and performance.
AI Builders Explained: What They Are and Why You Need One
Technology Digitally engaged employees will undoubtedly fuel the workforce of 2030. These “AI builders” will stand out for their ability to master operating this technology rather than being passive users. But to make this a reality and start turning AI slop into measurable business gains, leaders first must lay the proper foundation. Investing in improving individuals’ AI skills is the cheapest, easiest, and quickest path to organizational AI gains.
Top CEO Peer Groups, 2026 List
Member Experience Recently, our research team studied the top CEO peer group and executive advisory organizations. We analyzed more than 40 organizations using the following weighted factors: Year Founded/Years in Business (22%): Longevity signals proven track record and organizational stability. Global Membership Count (20%): Larger membership networks offer richer peer diversity and broader insight.
Why AI Builders Will Be in High Demand
There’s a big gap between using AI and actually leveraging it. Digitally engaged employees will undoubtedly fuel the workforce of 2030. These individuals will stand out for their ability to master operating AI rather than being passive users. To make this a reality and begin turning AI slop into measurable business gains, leaders first must lay the proper foundation.
Why AI Builders Will Be in High Demand
2 hours ago That “no one will check” era is officially over. Over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Matt Cortland deployed an AI voice agent named Rachel — Northern Irish accent, modeled on a contestant from The Traitors UK — to call more than 3,000 pubs across all 32 counties of Ireland and ask one simple question. …
The Best Leadership Training Companies, 2026 List
Member Experience Finding the right leadership training partner can be the difference between stagnation and exponential growth. CEOs and business owners invest tens of thousands of dollars annually in peer advisory groups, executive coaching, and leadership development, yet not all programs deliver equal value.
Top Local Business Peer Groups in Minneapolis, MN, 2026 List
Member Experience When you lead a company in the Twin Cities, the quality of your peer network directly impacts the quality of your decisions. We evaluated 34 local business peer groups serving CEOs and executives in the Minneapolis metro area, measuring each against proven criteria for business growth, peer quality, and sustained leadership development. Our analysis shows that the most effective local business peer groups combine rigorous member vetting and consistent accountability.
Top CEO Networking Groups, 2026 List
Member Experience At the top of any organization, decisions get harder and the people who truly understand their weight get fewer. What you need is a room full of people who are “in it” the same way you are and who will tell you the truth. That’s what CEO peer advisory groups promise. But not all of them deliver equally. Some are built for scale. Some are built for exclusivity. Some are built for transformation. And some are built for the entrepreneur who’s just getting started.
CEO Confidence Slips Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty
One year ago, CEO confidence surged following the election, fueled by expectations of pro-business policy, easing inflation, and lower borrowing costs. That optimism faded quickly. Shifting trade policy, stubborn inflation, and wage pressure made planning difficult through most of 2025. By Q4, CEOs had absorbed the turbulence, recalibrated expectations, and were looking ahead to 2026 with a steadier hand. What they did not factor in was a war.
CEO Confidence Slips Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty [Q1 Vistage CEO Index]
Economic / Future Trends One year ago, CEO confidence surged following the election, fueled by expectations of pro-business policy, easing inflation, and lower borrowing costs. That optimism faded quickly. Shifting trade policy, stubborn inflation, and wage pressure made planning difficult through most of 2025. By Q4, CEOs had absorbed the turbulence, recalibrated expectations, and were looking ahead to 2026 with a steadier hand. What they did not factor in was a war.
CEO Confidence Slips Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty [Q1 Vistage CEO Index]
Economic / Future Trends One year ago, CEO confidence surged following the election, fueled by expectations of pro-business policy, easing inflation, and lower borrowing costs. That optimism faded quickly. Shifting trade policy, stubborn inflation, and wage pressure made planning difficult through most of 2025. By Q4, CEOs had absorbed the turbulence, recalibrated expectations, and were looking ahead to 2026 with a steadier hand. What they did not factor in was a war.
The CEO Inner Circle: Who You Need in Your Corner
Business leaders face tough questions. So, let's start with a few of our own: Remember when pandemic shutdowns inspired hairdressers to take up hiking and waiters to plunge into white water rafting? What do you imagine life was like at the helm of an outdoor products company at that time? (Hint: it was not awesome.) Resorts shuttered. Campgrounds closed. Supply chains disappeared. Heather Stone found herself President of a company on the precipice of failure.
employee engagement
The Great Resignation. The Great Coasting. The Great Bored Out. Call it what you want, but right now employees are clearly in the driver’s seat.…
The CEO AI Leadership Blind Spot
Generative AI is moving at record speed - yet adoption alone does not equal leadership. Business leaders are experimenting with AI daily; however, most still approach it as a smarter search engine. This is creating a false sense of progress. Casual usage is being mistaken for digital engagement, and the gap between "AI slop" and meaningful use is widening.
How to eliminate Crazy Busyness
"It doesn't matter how good my clients are - if they focus their attention on the wrong things, they won't be as successful as they could be", says Zena Everett, Vistage Speaker and owner of a global leadership coaching and speaking practice. In her upcoming Vistage Climb webinar in April, Zena's focus will not be on productivity. Instead, it will be on helping business leaders decide where they can spend their time more wisely, and lead that decision-making within their organisations.
Mike Barker: How 90 Days Added $12M to the Sale
I had the responsibility of my family - my kids, my mother-in-law, all of our employees. Mike Barker, Vistage Leacgy Award Winner The Goal When a buyer made an offer on House of Cheatham in 2014, owner and former CEO Robert Bell simply thought it was worth more money. His son-in-law, Mike Barker, was the new president and CEO and was still making his mark. And while Barker felt that the offer was strong, Bell wasn't on board. The offer came and went.
Tariffs and Economic Uncertainty: A Behavioral View
As a marketer trained in the "dark arts of economics," I consider behavior in the economy every day. Though the assumptions in these models are often laughably absurd, the magic of the analysis lies in how oversimplifying complicated behavior makes it understandable. The U.S. economy is a very complicated behavioral system, but it can be simplified to a few basic components. All the production and consumption of our economy come together through voluntary transactions.
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