[tlb]

It takes practice. After meeting 100 CEOs and watching their companies evolve for 5 years, most people can be OK at it. Some people (famously Jessica Livingston) are much better than average. But few people have the chance to practice that much.

If you haven't had a lot of practice, ask people who have. Investors and other CEOs typically have lots of practice, though sometimes they aren't trustworthy themselves. So ask several people and discard outlying opinions.

Ignore the press, unless there are external facts like a conviction. The press is full of snark and innuendo about CEOs, most of which is just reporters trying to cook up a narrative people will click on.