Steve Ballmer, Jeffrey Besoz, Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt. Usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of great top managers is their astronomical salaries and not the fact that they are among the people who work the hardest and have the least time for themselves. A group of researchers from the London School of Economics and the Harvard Business School – also made up of three Italian brain drains – reviewed the agendas of more than 500 CEOs and has compiled a list of the activities that keep them most busy. The ultimate goal is show how the organization of CEOs' time influences the performance and management of their companies.
In a group of 65 top American managers, on 55 hours of work per week on average 18 hours are spent in meetings, more than 3 in calls e 5 in business lunches or dinners. Some of the remaining time is spent on travel, personal activities such as exercise or breakfast with family members, or other short-lived activities that are not recorded by personal assistants. The solitary work occupies on average 6 hours a week.
In another sample of 94 Italian CEOs, the research shows that the way managers value their time is closely related to the company's results and productivity, measured as revenue per employee. In Italy, performance increases depending on the manager you meet: according to the study, it doesn't help to meet people outside the company and the performance increases the more internal meetings are held.
Then perhaps it's best to follow the advice of Harvard Business School management professor Robert Steven Kaplan to replace the word "time" with the word "money" when setting your agenda for the week. “You pay more attention to money and have more judgment. If someone asks you for some, you're more inclined to say no".
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