Creativity and innovation keep CEOs awake, research finds

A hunger to drive innovation has been cited as the biggest reason for keeping business leaders counting sheep at night, a new report has found.

Out of 250 chief executive officers from across the world, 63 per cent said organisational and technological innovation were the main factors keeping them awake at nights.

More than half said cyber security threats were high on their ‘sleepless scale’, followed by issues such as workers, sustainable business, ethics and responsibility requirements and consumer demand changes.

Ashridge Middle East director Rory Hendrikz, Director said: “The evolving nature of business, and the proliferation of new technologies are steering organisations like never before. The ability to innovate from within, then quickly deliver results to customers directly or to the wider market, make the difference between success or failure.”

The image of the insomniac CEO is far from uncommon. Famous examples of CEOs who claim to function on fewer than eight hours of sleep a night include Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi and Donald Trump, who says he sleeps just three or four hours a night.

In contrast, media mogul Arianna Huffington is one of the most vocal leaders advocating her fellow executives to get as much sleep required.