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One might be inclined to think that our great masters of the universe (the CEOs of the fortune 500 group) work tirelessly and for endless hours toiling to better shareholder value, increasing ROI, and strategizing to move into the next immerging markets. “Get a life” is how others might respond. To be fair, it would be interesting to examine just how these corporate Kings, perched high above their underlings, spend their leisure time.
Fortune talked to three CEOs who generously volunteered their time to tell us, in fact, what they do do with this time. You will be surprised to find out. Jazz, flying and kite surfing are all part of it. Read on to find out more.
Shell’s CEO Jan van Os has been at the head of the massive organization for the last ten years. He does take time off and was recently seen at the Dutch resort town of Zandfort playing saxophone in the street.
Jan van Os (Shell)
First of all, it is difficult to define what are after hours. Shell works 24/7, so there really are no after hours. It also doesn’t make sense to work oneself into the ground only to burn out. I have been a jazz sax player for many years. I was actually considering a career as a jazzman. My heroes are John Coltrane, Monk, and without a doubt Bill Evans. This dates me. I am not that old, but I actually have seen some of the jazz superstars live. Miles Davis in 1987 at the North Sea Jazz festival in The Hague. Oddly enough, I actually like to play for a crowd. If I can’t play inside, I will go to the street. I have a few buddies from my university days that sit in. Actually, it is more like me sitting in with them. I usually keep it pretty low key, although I have been spotted on occasion. I once got to the office only to find a picture of me on the company intranet. I always think of Bill Clinton. We are closet jazzers. We once played together when he was on vacation in Europe.
Janet Lee, CEO at MacDonald’s, has been known to take time off to go flying. She says it calms her. She will also use it for business purposes.
Janet Lee (MacDonald’s)
People look at me like I am crazy when I tell them how much I love flying. I have been flying since high school and it has a zen effect on me. I have logged two thousand hours. I have a twin-engine Piper and fly mostly when I have time. On occasion, I fly for business but then I take a co-pilot along. It puts me in another world, and I am gone. I have never had any major incidents, but I have had to do an emergency landing. I was flying over Mexico City when we lost an engine. We were able to bring the plane in safely. Impressive? Running MacDonald’s is the big challenge. I always say it is more perilous to drive to work. Do you want to go up?
Mercedes CEO, Gerhart Stroeder, loves kite surfing. He is often found on the beaches of the North Sea practicing. We caught up with him in his office to find out more.
Stroeder (Mercedes)
They actually told me that I had to have a surf coach with me at all times. By they, I mean the Mercedes board. They said it’s too risky. Well, I have been doing it for a long time and so far so good. It was certainly easier when I was director of production, because I felt that I did’t have so many people watching. Now, if I can I go see competitions, I’m off. There are some fantastic world class competitions in Brittany France. I have had a few scratches now and then. A friend of mine broke two legs and his jaw. This is all a result of lack of preparation. Like Mercedes, preparation and execution are paramount.
Read more next week when Miles Johnson meets up with HSBC CEO Hugh Smith.