How managers deal with ruminations at work

Dusseldorf First Henkel, now Adidas: In his 14 years as CEO, Kasper Rorsted had to make many decisions. Even difficult ones that later turned out to be wrong. Recently, for example, the top manager admitted in the Handelsblatt that Adidas had not understood its customers enough in China – and had therefore fallen behind in the competition.

“It’s important to know the facts, weigh the pros and cons, discuss a decision beforehand, ask as many questions as possible and listen,” says Rorsted today. But what if the merry-go-round of thoughts just doesn’t want to stop spinning?

For Rorsted, the answer is then clear: do sports. Especially on days when important appointments are pending, the Adidas boss can be found early in the morning in the company’s own fitness studio. Often he has already covered several kilometers on his racing bike. The morning routine helps him to be more focused in everyday life.