Mental resilience as a CEO: routines to stay sharp under pressure

Intro

Being a CEO of a SME or scale-up in Belgium, the Netherlands or anywhere in Europe is not a nine-to-five job.

It’s a role that touches:

• your sleep,

• your relationships,

• your health,

• your identity.

In “100 Days to Make Your Mark as a CEO”, I make a simple statement:

Your company cannot be structurally healthier than the person who leads it.

That’s why mental resilience is not a luxury topic.It’s a strategic necessity.

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What mental resilience really means for a CEO

Mental resilience is not about:

• ignoring stress,

• working longer hours,

• pretending everything is fine.

It’s about:

• staying grounded in uncertainty,

• recovering from pressure and setbacks,

• making clear decisions without being hijacked by fear or fatigue.

Your board, your management team, your employees and your customers all feel it when you:

• are constantly on edge,

• snap in meetings,

• avoid difficult conversations,

• or disappear when things get tough.

The specific pressure of SME and scale-up CEOs

If you run a SME or scale-up in Belgium or the Netherlands, your pressure is often very personal:

• you may have personal guarantees with the bank,

• you may be working with family,

• your employees may live in the same village or region,

• your name and the company name are closely linked.

On top of that, you are often:

• involved in sales,

• visible in the ecosystem,

• the ultimate escalation point for everything.

Without deliberate routines, this becomes a 24/7 mental load.

Four practical resilience routines for CEOs

These are not magic bullets. They are small, concrete habits that I see working for real CEOs.

1. A daily “off-switch” ritual

Pick one moment every day where you are not the CEO:

• a walk without your phone,

• cooking dinner,

• reading,

• time with your partner or kids,

• sport or movement.

Even 30–45 minutes can make a difference.Your nervous system needs a clear signal: “We are not in decision mode right now.”

2. A weekly CEO check-in with yourself

Block 30 minutes in your calendar, same time each week.

Three questions:

1. What drained me this week?

2. What gave me energy this week?

3. What will I change next week (one small thing) to increase the second and reduce the first?

Write the answers down.Patterns will emerge:

• certain meetings always drain you,

• certain types of work energise you,

• certain people or topics trigger you.

You can then adjust:

• delegate differently,

• change how you prepare,

• say no to things that don’t fit your role.

3. Clear boundaries around urgency

If everything is “urgent”, your brain and body will stay in a permanent emergency mode.

Design a simple decision rule:

• What must reach you immediately?

• What can go through your management team first?

• What can wait 24–48 hours?

Communicate this rule to your team.Protect it.

This is especially important in SMEs and scale-ups where WhatsApp, email and Teams messages can reach you 24/7. Boundaries are not selfish; they are necessary to keep you functional and fair.

4. One safe place where you don’t have to perform

Every CEO I know who lasts in this role has at least one space where they can be fully honest:

• a coach,

• a peer group,

• a trusted board member,

• a partner or close friend.

In that space, you can say:

• “I don’t know yet.”

• “I’m scared about this decision.”

• “I’m exhausted.”

Without losing face.

If you don’t have such a space, your mind will try to process everything alone. That’s when stress becomes isolation, and isolation becomes cynicism or burnout.

Integrating resilience into your 100-day plan

In “100 Days to Make Your Mark as a CEO”, the 100-day window is not just about strategy and organisation. It’s also about designing how you will stay in the game.

You can build resilience into your plan like this:

• Days 1–30 – Observe your current patterns.

  • Track when you feel most tired or triggered.

  • Notice what kind of work energises you.

• Days 31–60 – Design new routines.

  • Implement your daily off-switch.

  • Start your weekly CEO check-in.

  • Agree on urgency rules with your team.

• Days 61–100 – Protect and refine.

  • Adjust your agenda to protect deep work and recovery time.

  • Get support if you notice recurring stress patterns you can’t solve alone.

This is not about becoming “zen” for its own sake.It’s about being able to lead your SME or scale-up in a way that is sustainable and effective.

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