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by token_throwaway 3148 days ago
TL;DR: Unlike other types of leaders (eg. Presidents), good CEOs consistently set destinations, and align new people towards those destinations, but don't micromanage the means by which their team gets there. Except for some times, when they have to.

This was horribly written. Succinctness is a virtue.

2 comments

That's not an accurate summary at all. The message of the article is that good CEOs set a direction and then act as an immutable rudder with the aim of ensuring that the organisation stays pointed in that direction.
Doesn't a rudder...steer?
Ah, good question. The point is not that the CEO doesn't make any changes but that he/she makes changes to keep the overall direction constant!
You're completely right. And either way it's about $0.05 of old insight.
How is that unlike a president? He builds a cabinet, outlines a vision and expects his staff to create and execute policy to achieve that.
A president, as the head of the executive branch, is the chief executive officer, by definition, isn't he/she?
Yeah that was kind of my point. Was I unclear?