Running & Business: How Running Makes Better Leaders with Hans Vestberg

Hans Vestberg's Journey & Passion

• 💡 Hans Vestberg transitioned from working at Ericsson to becoming the CEO of Verizon, also serving as former chairman of the Swedish Olympic Committee.
• ⚽ His early life was dominated by sports, particularly team handball, where he excelled, with running being a personal strength.
• ✈️ Due to extensive international travel for work, he shifted from team sports to running, which offered a flexible, individual exercise option.

Leadership Principles from Sports

• 📊 Vestberg emphasizes measuring performance and even his daily mood to ensure he maintains a high level of motivation for his team.
• 🚀 He applies a principle of constant striving for improvement, never feeling satisfied, which he learned from sports and applies to his leadership.
• 🤝 His leadership style is deeply influenced by sports, focusing on teamwork and leveraging diverse qualities within an organization.

Integrating Running into a Demanding Schedule

• 🗓️ Vestberg dedicates Sunday evenings to strategic planning his runs, fitting them into a schedule often packed with 12-14 daily meetings.
• 🎒 He always carries a bag with training gear, ensuring he's prepared to seize any opportunity to exercise, regardless of location.
• 🧠 A key strategy for managing pressure is compartmentalizing work stress; he leaves board meeting outcomes behind when he transitions to his run.

Running Philosophy & Routine

• 🏃‍♂️ His running is not for relaxation but for improvement and pushing physical limits, constantly trying to better his personal records.
• ⏱️ His weekly routine includes 2-3 outdoor runs (5-7K), 1-2 intense interval training sessions on a treadmill, and a longer run on weekends.
• ✅ Vestberg uses real-time tracking and sets annual goals for the number of runs with others, rather than focusing on breaking records.

CEO's Approach to Time & Health

• 🎯 He believes limited time fosters efficiency, leading to better planning and more concrete decision-making in his role.
• 📈 Vestberg measures his work hours across six categories and forecasts his time to ensure he focuses only on high-impact tasks unique to a CEO.
• 💖 His primary motivation for running is to maintain health and the independence it offers as an exercise, allowing him to do it whenever he wants.