Sage CEO on Bad Bosses: Panic Is the Last Thing You Need in a Crisis

Sage Group Plc, a maker of accounting and payroll software, is known for steady returns under Chief Executive Officer Steve Hare, with the stock more than doubling since he took the job at the end of 2018. But lately, the seasoned executive says his customers are being met with unprecedented geopolitical uncertainty and the shares are taking a hit along with much of the rest of the technology sector.

It’s not the first time the 63-year-old has had to navigate a tricky climate. As a finance chief during the dot-com bubble, he was forced to leave shortly after negotiating a restructuring for telecommunications equipment company Marconi Plc. A quarter of a century later, Hare says the lesson is that leaders “multiply anxiety” and “multiply optimism” and need to be conscious of their impact.