Greg Stevenson argues that being considered for a CEO role requires strong operational performance, but getting chosen requires something else: the hiring panel has to actually see you as a CEO. Many capable executives get passed over because they don't have the presence or feel of one.
Most executives who want the CEO role have spent their careers doing one thing exceptionally well, and that is performing. Hitting targets, leading teams, managing complexity, and delivering results. And that performance gets them noticed. It gets them into the interview room. It gets them onto the shortlist. But here's the problem. Performance is the entry ticket. It's not the deciding factor. I've sat across the table from some brilliant executives over the years, people with extraordinary track records, elite credentials, and the kind of CV that makes you lean forward when you read it. And I watched some of them not get the job, not because they weren't capable— they were more than capable— but because the people making the decision couldn't see them in the role. There's a difference between someone who has done great things and someone who feels like a CEO.
