The year's list of honourees proves a classic lesson in leadership
The crises of 2020 have been a defining moment for the world’s top corporate leaders. But some chief executives this year are raising the standards of leadership, and earning the respect and admiration of their employees all the more in these turbulent times.
The CEO ranking of career monitoring site Comparably proves this. By taking employee feedback over a 12-month period, researchers learned how CEOs and organizations that put their people first tend to have a more positive work environment and, therefore, happier employees.
Read more: 50 companies with the best workplace culture
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan is one example. The video communications platform performed well in the stock market in the early months of the work-from-home era, but the CEO had been carefully building its corporate culture long before the pandemic.
In 2019, Yuan topped Comparably’s list of the best CEOs. This year, he’s held onto the top spot yet again after garnering an overall rating of 98 out of 100 from his employees.
An overwhelming 100% of Zoom employees surveyed said they look forward to working with their colleagues every day. Meanwhile, 99% see their work environment as positive.
“The best employees are happy employees, and Zoom has the best around,” Yuan said last year, when his team was ranked the happiest in a separate survey.
At work, Yuan’s employees say they feel compensated well and supported by their managers, and that they enjoy a range of benefits such as health care and paid parental leave.
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“We care about each other in a way that I have not witnessed in other companies,” said Lynne Oldham, the company’s chief people officer.
Read more: 50 best workplaces in 2020
HubSpot CEO and co-founder Brian Halligan is another big winner this year, scoring 93 out of 100 and retaining his No. 2 ranking from 2019.
At work, Halligan has been a driving force behind HubSpot’s highly rated (A+) employee culture. Outside of work, the CEO is known for his social justice advocacy.
Who are the best CEOs of 2020, according to Comparably? Check out the complete list:
1. Eric Yuan Zoom Video Communications San Jose, CA
2. Brian Halligan HubSpot Cambridge, MA
3. Sundar Pichai Google Mountain View, CA
4. Satya Nadella Microsoft Redmond, WA
5. Shantanu Narayen Adobe San Jose, CA
6. Ryan Smith Qualtrics Provo, UT
7. Patrick Pacious Choice Hotels Rockville, MD
8. Timothy Cook Apple Cupertino, CA
9. Annette Brüls Medela McHenry, IL
10. Vlad Shmunis RingCentral Belmont, CA
11. Robert Frist, Jr. HealthStream Nashville, TN
12. Mitch Snyder Bell Fort Worth, TX
13. Ian Siegel ZipRecruiter Santa Monica, CA
14. Daniel Dines UiPath New York, NY
15. Lynn Jurich Sunrun San Francisco, CA
16. Manny Medina Outreach Seattle, WA
17. Bert Bean Insight Global Atlanta, GA
18. John Foley Peloton New York, NY
19. Dan Rosensweig Chegg Santa Clara, CA
20. Henry Schuck ZoomInfo Vancouver, WA
21. Carlos Rodriguez ADP Roseland, NJ
22. Doug Mack Fanatics Jacksonville, FL
23. Steve Bilt Smile Brands Irvine, CA
24. Kenneth Lin Credit Karma San Francisco, CA
25. John Van Siclen Dynatrace Waltham, MA
31. Jay Kreps Confluent Mountain View, CA
32. Mark Marron ePlus Herndon, VA
33. Cesar Carvalho Gympass New York, NY
34. Karen White RMS Newark, CA
35. Mahe Bayireddi Phenom People Ambler, PA
36. Barry Litwin Systemax Port Washington, NY
37. Sam Gilliland Cherwell Software Colorado Springs, CO
38. Amr ElSawy Noblis Reston, VA
39. Mike Walsh LexisNexis Legal & Professional New York, NY
40. Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Menlo Park, CA
41. David Doctorow Realtor.com Santa Clara, CA
42. David Meredith Everbridge Burlington, MA
43. Robert Keane Vistaprint Waltham, MA
44. Thomas Troy CSAA Insurance Group Walnut Creek, CA
45. Jeff Dailey Farmers Insurance Woodland Hills, CA
46. Mike Salvino DXC Technology Tysons Corner, VA
47. Sumit Singh Chewy Dania Beach, FL
48. Tomer Weingarten SentinelOne Mountain View, CA
49. Mike Rosenbaum Guidewire Software San Mateo, CA
50. Clark Valberg InVision All-Remote