According to the Economic Policy Institute, one of the factors that drive generous CEO compensation is the perception that there’s a limited pool of qualified candidates out there. But with the high pay comes commensurately high expectations. Today, performance targets account for 60-80% of CEO compensation. And with shareholders demanding better results every quarter (and Wall Street analysts punishing companies that fail to deliver) CEOs face incessant pressure to move the needle quickly.

One business plan, two philosophies

According to 2020 research by management consultancy Insigniam, actions taken by CEOs of the 1950s accounted for 10% of the company’s overall performance. By the 2000s, that percentage had doubled. Simply put, today’s CEOs find themselves in far greater positions of power, responsibility, and accountability.

In Amos’ view, that dynamic includes the skill to meet the aforementioned short-term demands while also planning for the long-term health of the company. It’s a high-wire act.

One factor in Amos’ favor is that 60-70% of Aflac’s revenue comes from Japan, where supplemental health insurance is very popular. Japanese business culture tends to be more long-term than short-term oriented, Amos said, which is to his benefit.

Nevertheless, “there is a balance there, and the job of the CEO is to make sure you have both.”

The 24/7 CEO

Another force that Amos and his c-suite brethren have had to contend with is the morphing of CEOs into public figures. Not only have some CEOs become the equivalent to celebrities (think Martha Stewart, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk), many chief executives have surrendered their private lives in the process.

“It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Amos said. “If you’re not careful, you can burn out. I mean, you are never off.”

Amos remembers Alfac’s medical director once joshing him that the big difference between a physician’s job and a CEO’s is that the doctor at least gets to silence his pager every so often.

Amos has resigned himself to being available all the time, even when he’s ostensibly on vacation. He has a cell phone, he said, that can take a call atop Mount Everest if necessary.