Leadership is fickle. As you climb the corporate ladder your role changes. When you lead a department you are expected to give orders. People look for leadership. When you lead a division you are expected to empower middle management. People look for guidance. When you become the CEO of a company you become a servant leader. People look for inspiration. Reaching the pinnacle role of a CEO is every graduate's dream, but when you finally arrive you have too much to do, with too little time and too little information. Moreover, you become a public figure and vulnerable to critique. Not everybody wears the armor to withstand such forces.
The findings of Harvard Business Review published in 2004 still seem relevant in 2020. Here are 7 surprises that new CEOs discovered when entering office:
- You can't run the company
- Giving orders is very costly
- It is hard to know what is really going on
- You are always sending a message
- You are not the boss
- Pleasing shareholders is not the goal
- You are still only human
Published by Michael E. Porter, Jay W. Lorsch and Nitin Nohria
From the October 2004 Issue
Summary by Geo Wehry, Senior Partner at TRANSEARCH, originally published on LinkedIn here.
Read "Seven Surprises for New CEOs" leadership insights 
