Think about it. They make all the decisions and champion the cause all the way to success. The CEO bears the blame for all failures. The boss sets the priorities for everyone working at the enterprise. All crises land on the CEO’s doorstep—most are urgent, potentially catastrophic affairs.
What happens when the CEO does things right and the enterprise succeeds? The chief humbly stands aside and turns over all credit to the team who made it happen. After all, positively motivating the team always trumps the CEO’s own emotional needs. The team’s collective ego demands constant feeding. Both tasks fall on the CEO’s shoulders.
CEOs live on a high wire, balancing between making their company successful and achieving the profit imperative while deploying scarce assets in the most strategically advantageous ways. The CEO often has no one to act as a mentor; no sage guru from whom to seek advice.
Therein lies the challenge of being the boss. This is the truth many CEOs live with. Many do not have a coach or an all-knowing mentor. Yet the buck always crashes onto their desk, skidding to a stop right there in their lap. The crises never go away until something changes – they get help!