What New CEOs Get Wrong About the Job

Turn breakthrough ideas into real results at the virtual HBR Innovation Summit this November with top CEOs and masterclasses on AI and growth. Register by September 30th and save 25%. Learn more at hbr.org slash innovation summit. I'm Alison Beard. And I'm Adi Ignatius, and this is the HBR Ideacast.

Adi, today we're having a conversation about expectations versus reality in senior roles. Yeah, look, I think people sometimes say yes to opportunities without realizing what exactly they're getting involved in other than maybe a shiny new title. Yes, and this happens at every level of your career. But today's guest, Nathan Noria, former Dean of Harvard Business School, has looked specifically at what happens when people move into the chief executive role. He spent more than three decades studying CEOs, including bringing new ones together each year to discuss the challenges they're facing.

And he has a new book out that offers lessons and best practices on how to successfully prepare for the top job. And that includes lots of good advice for people who aspire to the C-suite too. So we'll talk about how executives can stay connected to what's really happening inside their organizations, why humility is a huge asset, and how to decide what not to do when you're being hit with a barrage of new developments each day. Here's my conversation with Nithan Noria, author of The CEO, the role, the reality, the responsibility.

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