If there is a strategic executive to leverage the company’s growth, that is certainly the CEO. The reputation of their responsibility in corporate operations is entirely justified, after all, they are the ones who make tough decisions and define the strategies and governance to be followed based on set goals. A position of great weight, but one that also often grants them a kind of superhero syndrome by acting alone in their work—something that can be highly detrimental to their deliverables.
Major decisions managed by CEOs account for 45% of a company’s performance, according to McKinsey data. However, at the same time, it is an extremely demanding and stressful job, in which 68% of them feel unprepared to take on the position; moreover, only three out of five meet performance expectations in the first 18 months.
It is not easy to take on such responsibility in a business. Just consider how many external factors influence—whether to a lesser or greater degree—corporate prosperity: global trade reconfiguration; geopolitics; constant advances in digital transformation, sustainable demands, leadership in uncertain times, and growing concerns about team mental health, to name a few.
All these agendas constantly affect the work of CEOs, with a very small and acceptable margin of error within organizations. After all, all their decisions are considered in the short and long term, establishing robust governance and culture to structure continuous and prosperous growth for the company in its sector.
With great power comes great responsibility. But how often can you notice this executive requesting support from a colleague for a specific task? Who is their support network? Who can they really count on to stand by their side?
No matter how prepared this executive is, no one handles so many responsibilities alone. They need to have an ecosystem of support, analyze the scenario they are in, and see if they have a prepared team to help them with these demands—if they have the right people to walk this path with them. If not, they must make tough decisions in this regard, whether by replacing teams or hiring new talent.
To mitigate any possibility of risks in their responsibilities, a CEO should not have a superhero syndrome and act alone but deeply reflect on the skills they lack and where to find professionals who can combine their knowledge and experience to assist them in this journey. It is these trust-based relationships that keep us energized and encourage each other to grow and prosper continuously.
Question top leadership about this need and analyze your legacy as a CEO in your current role. Where do you want to go? What actions will you need to take to achieve these goals? Hire new talent, create different departments, or strengthen a specific culture to promote better team performance? And what technical and behavioral skills should you reinforce in professionals by your side to build this journey with greater assertiveness?
The corporate ecosystem must survive beyond this one individual, reinforcing the business environment in terms of culture to sustain it in future challenges. No matter how exemplary the CEO’s behavior is to others, greater communication and unity in the directed efforts are needed so that collective gains become increasingly better and surprising, driving the business as a reference in its sector.
