Latest survey from the Conference Board  reveals top 10 priorities for 2013 of global CEOs. The US CEOs placed their priorities in this order:

  1. Operational excellence
  2. Government regulation
  3. Customer relationships
  4. Innovation
  5. Human Capital
  6. Global political/economic risk
  7. Global expansion
  8. Corporate brand and reputation
  9. Trust in business
  10. Sustainability

CEOs in Europe and Asia placed Human Capital at the top of the tree. And for those CEOs who are focused on operational excellence may I recommend searching through my 300 posts for some helpful advice! The one observation I would make on operational excellence (the main theme of the Smith Report) is that investing heavily in a Discovery phase will pay dividends later. Review every piece of your business for leaks. Because a collection of small but essential missing pieces in every department can add up to a mountain of operational pain when added together.