Description
The CEO is often the most isolated and protected employee in
the organization. Few leaders, even veteran CEOs, can do
the job without talking to someone about their experiences,
which is why most develop a close relationship with a trusted
colleague, a confidant to whom they can tell their thoughts
and fears. In his work with leaders, the author has found
that many CEO-confidant relationships function very well.
The confidants keep their leaders' best interests at heart.
They derive their gratification vicariously, through the
help they provide rather than through any personal gain,
and they are usually quite aware that a person in their position
can potentially abuse access to the CEO's innermost secrets.
Unfortunately, almost as many confidants will end up hurting,
undermining, or otherwise exploiting CEOs when the executives
are at their most vulnerable. The leader is often the last
one to know when or how the confidant relationship became
toxic. The author has identified three types of destructive
confidants. The reflector mirrors the CEO, constantly reassuring
him that he is the “fairest CEO of them all.” The
insulator buffers the CEO from the organization, preventing
critical information from getting in or out. And the usurper
cunningly ingratiates himself with the CEO in a desperate
bid for power.
Subjects Covered
CEO, Communication, Executives, Human behavior, Human relations,
Interpersonal behavior, Interpersonal relations, Leadership,
Personal strategy & style, Upper management.
