The CEO Test

What does it take to become a leader? Would you pass the test?

Despite efforts over the past few decades to understand what makes a leader effective, the art of leadership remains challenging, complicated, and extremely vague at all levels and types of companies. In *The CEO Test *, journalist Adam Bryant and Kevin Sharer, former CEO of biotech giant Amgen, identify seven key reasons why leaders succeed or fail, and present a unique and practical guide for executives.

Beginning managers tend to have many questions, such as: how demanding should they be? When should they let things happen and when should they intervene to ensure a task is completed? How should they give feedback without being overly critical? How can they be welcoming without trying to be part of the group? When is it acceptable to show vulnerability? Or would it be better to always appear unshakable?

These days, most CEOs don't last five years in their positions. The pressure to deliver ever-more efficient results can be brutal: the loneliness; the weight of responsibility; the excessive questioning and criticism; the pressure to build impeccable teams; the demands that occupy 24/7 and require superhuman endurance; the challenging decisions that often leave no one happy; the expectation of always having the right answer, even when it's hard to know what the right question is. These challenges are most evident at the top, but the plight of directors is exemplary for many other hierarchical levels.

Every leader faces their own version of these tests, and the authors bring together lessons and stories from hundreds of CEOs, including Satya Nadella (Microsoft) and Bob Iger (Disney), to show how anyone aspiring to be a leader can master this knowledge and lead like a CEO. These leadership skills should make all executives more effective in their roles, enabling them to pivot their career trajectory.