In Brief
The Problem
Power and prestige insulate most CEOs from ideas and information that might alert them to looming opportunities or threats.
The Solution
Innovative executives work hard to break down the walls surrounding them by gaining exposure to a broad range of constituents and venturing off the beaten path.
The Emphasis
These CEOs actively seek out situations where they may be unexpectedly wrong, unusually uncomfortable, and uncharacteristically quiet. This helps them ask the right questions, discover previously unknown territory, and detect important but weak signals.
When you’re the CEO of a large organization—or even a small one—your greatest responsibility is to recognize whether it requires a major change in direction. Indeed, no bold new course of action can be launched without your say-so. Yet your power and privilege leave you insulated—perhaps more than anyone else in the company—from information that might challenge your assumptions and allow you to perceive a looming threat or opportunity. Ironically, to do what your exalted position demands, you must in some way escape your exalted position.
