Assessment: Do I Need a CEO Sparring Partner?

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Take a moment to explore situations where a CEO sparring partner could bring additional value, whether in your own decision-making or in strengthening the organization’s performance and strategic outcomes.

Please answer intuitively—trust your first instinct.

Decision-Making

  1. I often feel that I don’t have all the necessary information to make important and/or complex decisions.
  2. I usually make key decisions without a neutral counterpart to challenge my assumptions and potential limitations.
  3. Sometimes, I make decisions under pressure, without enough time for strategic reflection.
  4. When making strategic decisions, additional critical analysis of alternatives would be beneficial.
  5. I feel that I could make some decisions faster if I had the right additional support.
  6. In new business challenges, I would benefit from the experience of others in similar situations or a second opinion.

Organizational Readiness for the Modern Economy

  1. We are not fully confident that we understand all the dynamics of the digital economy and their impact on our business.
  2. I am not entirely convinced that our strategic directions and/or business models are innovating in ways that deliver sufficient value to our most important customers.
  3. I see implementation challenges in our digital transformation, or I feel that some of our strategic projects are not delivering enough tangible business benefits.
  4. No one in our organization systematically focuses on balancing ongoing cost optimization with customer and employee experience.
  5. It seems that we do not (yet) have a clear plan for leveraging the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence.
  6. I am not confident that our employees possess the (digital) competencies needed to ensure their and our future success.

Evaluation of Results:

If you answered “Yes” to 3 or more questions in either section, a business sparring partner could provide significant added value to your work.

If you answered “Yes” to more than 6 questions in total, a business sparring partner is not just an interesting option but a crucial partner for decision-making and achieving strategic goals in the modern economy.

If your results are inconclusive (6+6), use this additional question for reflection: “I realize that frequent operational challenges take up too much of my time, leaving me with less time for strategic reflection about the future of our organization.”

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