Greg Stevenson argues that leadership programs teach skills like strategy and governance, but the CEO role actually tests internal qualities first. This mismatch is why many leadership transitions fail. Programs have real value, but they all skip the inner work.
The majority of leadership development works on the outside of a person, and the CEO role tests the inside of a person first. The gap between what development produces and what the role actually requires is where most transitions fail. What the industry gets right. I want to be precise about this. Executive education programs are useful. MBA, executive MBAs are valuable. Governance and board training is necessary. Strategic planning frameworks are very important. I'm not dismissing, dismissing any of it. I have done most of it myself. What I am saying is that all of it addresses the same dimension of leadership.
