CEOs are leaning on their inner circles to get ahead, putting trusted peers ahead of political connections

In a report published in October, executive search firm Egon Zehnder surveyed 843 CEOs globally about the biggest challenges they face and how they are adapting. The findings reveal a growing reliance on relationships, particularly within the business community, to help companies navigate an unpredictable operating environment.

Business alliances ranked as the most important external relationships, cited by 87% of CEOs, followed by informal CEO networks at 47%, and public-private partnerships at 32%. Nearly half of those who prioritized business alliances said those relationships had become more important over the past year.

The prominence of informal CEO networks is particularly revealing. These relationships give executives access to peers confronting similar problems, often across industries and geographies. Such connections can provide early intelligence on shifting markets, opportunities for collaboration, and a trusted space to share sensitive information, air concerns, and discuss challenges they might hesitate to raise outside of a close circle of peers.

Taken together, business alliances and informal networks can also help CEOs test their assumptions. A chief executive weighing an AI investment, supply chain restructuring, or expansion into a politically sensitive market can draw on the experience of peers who have already confronted comparable decisions. The value lies partly in the speed with which trusted relationships can surface practical information and help executives evaluate risks.

This emphasis on networking comes as 62% of CEOs anticipate greater geopolitical disruption over the next 12 months and as AI adoption and its implications top the list of challenges facing their organizations. And these pressures are prompting 30% of CEO respondents to form new strategic alliances and partnerships.

The findings also underscore the personal demands of leading through uncertainty. Some 82% of CEOs said the current environment requires greater leadership endurance than they had previously imagined, while 85% believe future success depends on strengthening both personal resilience and traditional business capabilities.

Of course, building the endurance needed to lead through uncertainty doesn’t have to be a solitary exercise. For CEOs facing mounting pressure, most say that a trusted circle of peers can offer the perspective, support, and experience that even the most seasoned leaders may struggle to find within their own organizations.

Ruth Umoh
ruth.umoh@fortune.com

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