The Best-Performing CEOs in the World

The knock on most business leaders is that they don't take the long view--that they're fixated on achieving short-term goals to lift their pay. So which global CEOs actually delivered solid results over the long run? Our 2014 list of top performers provides an objective answer. …A few years ago I sat down with Starbucks founder Howard Schultz in his Seattle office to discuss the challenges of being a CEO. At one stage I asked whether he felt there was a disconnect between the person he would like to be and the persona he needs to project while running a public company. Serving as a CEO, he said, "has been difficult--and lonely." Yet he'd found that it was indeed possible to be values-driven while also winning Wall Street's respect. "But the only ingredient that works in this environment is performance--so we have to perform."