Gartner ThinkCast Your CEO's Priorities for 2026: The New Executive Playbook
Feb 3, 2026
Don Scheibenreif, Distinguished VP Analyst who researches CEO agendas, outlines shifting CEO priorities for 2026. He describes the new “wicked messes” CEOs face and why traditional playbooks are failing. Topics include AI’s value conundrum, geopolitics and supply chain redesign, rising CEO churn, and how technology leaders can align strategy and investments to navigate turmoil.
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Sustainable Cotton Turned Crisis Into Opportunity
- Don Scheibenreif recounts Aravind's partnership with the Better Cotton Initiative to stabilize cotton farmers' incomes.
- Those actions reduced suicides, improved the environment, and turned the company into a sustainability leader.
Middle‑Of‑The‑Road CEO Confidence
- Gartner's CEO confidence index sits at 49.6, reflecting CEO hesitation amid complex modern challenges.
- That hesitation creates decision vacuums that slow technology moves and risk-taking across organizations.
Iacocca's Decisive Turnaround Playbook
- Don describes Lee Iacocca at Chrysler securing loans, closing plants, cutting costs and launching the minivan simultaneously.
- His decisive actions contrast with today's CEO hesitancy that creates vacuums for CIOs.