The CEO Struggle - Part 3: Sustaining the Leader
It’s early evening, and a CFO takes a call. A headhunter has a tempting proposition: a multinational on an M&A drive is seeking a new CEO. Can she talk? The toplines sound great. A prestigious position in an outstanding organization. It's a natural step up. An intriguing challenge.
All these factors matter to an incoming CEO. But they are not enough. The organizational setting will be critical: from the board and C-suite team, to the firm’s higher purpose. So, too, the top executive’s access to a peer entourage, her attitudes, purpose and self-care.
“Usually, these factors are not considered enough,” says Fredy Hausammann, Managing Partner of Amrop in Switzerland. “If you have a legacy executive team and a non-executive board which aren’t ideally configured, you’ll have trouble.” In essence: “If the setting is right, you don't have to worry about the rest.”
When the pressure is on, how can a CEO stay resilient?
