Three Common CEO Missteps (A Perspective From The Boardroom)

The goal of this note is to explore three common CEO missteps frequently witnessed by these three directors which can cause great damage to an organization. A three-step approach is used to discuss each misstep: Identify the issue; Use literature on social psychology, sociology and organizational behavior to better understand the root causes of the issue; Propose recommendations that can help CEOs and directors avoid each misstep. The three common CEO missteps are: Ego. This concern is best summarized by the phrase “often in error, never in doubt.” A second common misstep for many CEOs is that they pay more attention to strategy than to execution. A third common issue with many CEOs is that they put too little emphasis on the importance of people and culture and too much focus on miracle technologies and “big brains.”