To be a CEO is to serve as the company’s central power source. This role demands not just stamina but a rare combination of physical endurance, mental acuity, emotional steadiness, and strategic clarity. In my recent Fortune profile of New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien, one quality surfaced repeatedly: her energy. Described as “indefatigable” by colleagues and peers, Levien acknowledged that she may have been “given a little more energy,” but she also emphasized her ability to sustain it. That distinction—between having energy and managing it—is essential.
It mirrored a conversation I had with Courtney della Cava, who oversees CEO selection for Blackstone’s portfolio companies. She said stamina is among the most decisive traits in identifying leadership potential. But she defined it not in terms of hours worked but as the ability to deliver high performance consistently over time. It’s a mix of physical energy, mental resilience, and emotional bandwidth.
