A recent study from The Workplace Health uncovering how UK professionals are impacted by stress revealed 76% of individuals stated that they are facing significant stress levels in the workplace, marking a notable 13% increase since 2022.

The pressure on professionals to have all the answers is often significant, especially for first-time CEOs who we assume have all the correct capabilities and knowledge required for the job. In their first 100 days in a new role they are expected to implement their new plan straight away, which can be quite a stressful undertaking.

With two out of five CEOs failing in their first eighteen months, according to the Harvard Business Review, it is clear there is not the infrastructure in place to support these new CEOs, especially in these early days when stress is high.

When these first 100 days are mission critical to setting a first-time CEO up for success, it is essential they are equipped with ways to manage the inevitable stresses that occur during the transition.

Get a professional, independent coach/mentor

Being a new CEO can be isolating. With the weight of a whole host of new responsibilities taking a toll on their well-being, having a professional coach or mentor can be invaluable to helping navigate these complexities.

Investing in a professional coach/mentor provides a supportive and confidential space for CEOs to explore their thoughts, feelings and concerns without fear of judgement. Whilst a coach helps to ask the right questions to allow you to unlock yourself from sticky situations, a mentor may help you with advice from their greater experience.

Getting this balance right is complex, but invaluable when done well. A talented and experienced coach/mentor not only helps the individual they are supporting to find their own best route but can help identify short-term, and long-term goals, which are invaluable when setting your 100-day plan.

When you are seemingly on your own, in the middle of the stress, pressure and loneliness that being at the top can bring, it is practically impossible to see a way to leap into a world of excellent relationships and high performance.

Learn to understand yourself

The CEO Winner’s Circle examines the relationships that first-time CEOs need to get right to be successful

The CEO Winner’s Circle above outlines the essential relationships that first-time CEOs should establish, both internally and externally. However, the common denominator in every relationship is you, which is why it is so important to be aware and in control of this when you want to maintain a good relationship with stress.

When building an idea-sharing culture is best executed when you build relationships within the business. However, learning to understand yourself is just as vital and should be where the initial focus is, especially within the first 18 months. Establishing a healthy relationship with yourself can have many benefits, including an increase in resilience, enhancing self-awareness and a chance to reflect on your thoughts and feelings.

As a CEO, your role in demonstrating effective stress management for your team is central. Therefore, dedicating time at the beginning of your new role to comprehend your value, experience and skills can significantly enhance your ability to foster a positive relationship with stress both personally and within the organisation.

Whether you are a first-time CEO, an experienced leader or aspiring to become one, blogs, books and podcasts can also be brilliant resources of guidance, helping to speed up the learning process and mitigating any mistakes

Own the culture

Balancing responsibilities is tricky, especially for a new CEO. Being taken out of your comfort - and sometimes competence - zone and put into an unfamiliar position of overall responsibility can often make you overlook the company culture, something that is critical to both success and survival.

To breed a positive culture, new CEOs should prioritise two things within the first 100 days: talking to a range of people and listening. Whether that’s with previous CEOs, members of the board, fellow directors on the Senior Leadership Team or groups and teams across the whole company, going out to meet, talk and listen to them can create a culture of honesty and one where you welcome input, challenge, ideas and even criticism. Outlining this vision within the initial 100 days will allow new CEOs to stay on track and focused, specifically on the issues that matter the most.

The best ideas tend to come from those working within the business, so the right culture will not only encourage them to put their ideas forward but it will also have them caring about doing better for the company and its interests. Establishing a culture with intent can motivate you as an individual to take positive steps forward in preventing stress from occurring in the future.

When new CEOs experience stress, it’s important to get a professional coach/mentor, develop a deeper understanding of one’s self and build relationships to own the culture. Effectively handling stress within the first 100 days is a foundational skill for the most successful CEOs, enabling them to flourish and excel in their new position.

It is essential to recognise that no one person, no matter how experienced or skilled, can ever have all the solutions to every problem. Leadership is about collaboration, learning and adaptability as much as it is about making decisions.

About David Roche

David Roche is a professional executive coach and mentor at Grey Area Coaching, and works with first-time CEOs across many sectors. David is Chair of London Book Fair and the writing agency New Writing North. He also works as a consultant with startups entering the book industry and lectures at NFTS.

His first book, Just Where You Left It, was published by Unbound in 2017. David was previously CEO of Borders & Books, Product Director of both Waterstones and HMV, and Group Sales and Marketing Director of HarperCollins Publishing.