Leadership, Uncertainty and the Case for new Optimistic Leaders

The Fortune/Deloitte CEO Survey reveals a troubling drop in optimism among surveyed business leaders.

The latest Fortune/Deloitte CEO Survey reveals a troubling drop in confidence among the world’s most influential business leaders. Optimism for their own organisations has fallen from 84% in Fall 2024 to 60%, and for their industries, from 61% to just 32%. More than half of the CEOs surveyed now express pessimism about the global economy, up sharply from 18% in the previous survey.

These declines reflect a growing unease in the face of geopolitical tensions, financial instability, and policy disruption—yet they also raise a critical question: Are these the right people to lead us through this era of uncertainty?

And yet, some leaders do get it.

Jason Girzadas, CEO of Deloitte US, offered a timely reminder of what is needed now:

“In this environment, the key takeaway is the critical need for adaptability and forward-thinking leadership. By embracing change and innovation, there is an opportunity to transform uncertainty into a catalyst for sustainable long-term growth.”

This is the very essence of strategic optimism, meeting complexity with confidence, and treating volatility as a runway, not a roadblock.

Transformation expert Jeff Kerr-Bell captures it with precision:

“Successful strategy cannot exist without optimism! Strategy is the act of navigating through challenges toward something better—and you cannot define better without being optimistic that it exists. No optimism = no strategy!”

Exactly. Strategy begins with belief. Without optimism, a plan is just a spreadsheet. With optimism, it becomes a mission.

Professor Colin Jevons of Monash University puts it plainly:

“A strategy without optimism is doomed to fail. Any plan to influence the future must be optimistic.”

So when the data tells us CEO optimism is falling, we must look beyond the numbers.

We must ask: Do we have the right mindset at the helm? Are we leading with possibility or fear?

The Optimism Principle tells us that optimism is not wishful thinking; it is the strategic fuel for transformation. The University of Sydney Business School’s Optimism Effect confirms this: producer optimism is directly linked to national productivity, innovation, and R&D investment. Optimism is a multiplier. Without it, organisations stall. With it, they soar.