Why Bad Leaders Become CEOs

Why Bad Leaders Become CEOs

Last week on our weekly web TV series, Career Juice, we discussed the number one trait all CEOs possess. I assure you... the great, the bad, and even the down-right sinister - when it comes to leaders who become CEOs, all of them possess this trait. The reality is, all CEOs have their jobs because (drum roll please... ) they want them. That’s right. The only trait every CEO shares is they all want the job. And that, my friends, is why so many bad leaders become CEOs. Honestly, it makes me sad. So many talented people out there with incredible leadership skills never step up to the plate. They don’t want the drama, the headaches, or the risk of failing. So instead, they let the lesser-talented, and sometimes, bad-blooded folks take the helm. Question: Are you guilty of being one of the bad ones? Here’s the thing: We can all get angry at the terrible acts of CEOs we see in the media, but what about the terrible acts we sometimes perform as the CEO of our businesses-of-one? You heard me. If you haven’t realized it, we are all a business-of-one responsible for our own career success. Which means, we are all CEOs. And like it or not, there are times when we run from that responsibility. Why? We don’t want the drama, the headaches, or the risk of failing. We’d much rather take a job and blame the CEO of our employer for what happens to us. (I invite you all to grab a membership to CareerHMO and watch the full episode to see the excellent discussion we had on this subject with viewers that day.) When we embrace our CEO status, we take ownership of our careers and our future. We recognize we’ll make mistakes, but we realize that we’d rather have a few setbacks and be in control of our destiny, than be powerless and miserable.


Your Turn

Do you agree that you are a CEO of your business-of-one? How have you taken control of your business-of-one in the last year? What tips, advice and resources can you share with readers to help them step up and take over as CEO of their business-of-one? Why bad leaders become CEOs image from Shutterstock
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