'Come out stronger' | Leadership confidence has skyrocketed - is that a good thing?

After a very tough year for retailers around the globe following government-mandated closures and economic instability, attendees at clothing retailer H&M’s annual general meeting, held last week, were relieved to find that CEO Helena Helmersson’s message was one of optimism and confidence.

Speaking to the assembly, Helmersson stated, according to reports from Reuters, that she was firmly convinced that under her leadership, the brand would not only survive the pandemic relatively unscathed, but that it would “come out of the coronavirus crisis stronger” than it went in, despite the massive downturn in business in this time, and shortages in supply chain throughout the sector. 

And whilst the global business outlook for many right now may well be alarming due to the level of uncertainty surrounding the progression of the pandemic, data from the Conference Board’s latest sentiment survey found that actually, most leaders reflect a similar mindset to Helmersson.

In fact, CEO confidence has reached its highest level since 1976, according to the report, and that number is growing. Around 94% of the more than 100 CEOs surveyed said that current economic conditions, likely mixed with the knowledge that their leadership stayed resolute throughout the past year, had driven them to have more confidence in themselves – this is up from 67% in the prior quarter.