A former CEO describes the isolation of the role: you're consulted on everything from parking lots to acquisitions, but the hardest problems involve board dynamics and strategy. He explains why CEOs seek advice from external advisors who have actually been CEOs themselves.
Well, having been a CEO, having been in that position on 2 different occasions, there it is, lonely at the top. There's nothing quite like that responsibility and authority, and in its own way, the sense of isolation. People come to you for every decision, everything from what How wide the spaces should be in the parking lot that we're going to repaint, to do we make this acquisition. But when it comes to issues around your board, some strategic issues, it's helpful sometimes to get the benefit of talking with someone who's outside your board and your company, who's been in your seat, to bounce ideas and thoughts off and get a little different perspective.
