Outside the Box

Opinion:

CEOs might not be so idolized if we realized that many wash out of the job quickly

Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

We either lionize chief executives — elevating them as omnipotent idols singlehandedly propelling their organizations to success, or we vilify them as greedy schemers, willing to sacrifice workers’ livelihoods or the health of the planet to secure their exorbitant pay.

Mythologizing the CEO is nothing new, but the consequences of turning these leaders into either icons or scapegoats is profound. The mythmaking has popularized badly misguided notions about how CEOs succeed in a job that’s so cognitively, emotionally and physically challenging that almost one-third of those appointed don’t last even three years in the role.