Amp It Up

19Conclusion—Great Leaders Have Great Outcomes

I am asked on occasion what makes a great CEO. People expect a series of adjectives such as intelligent, charismatic, collaborative, eloquent, and so on. Something they can scribble on a sticky note and put up on their bathroom mirror for daily inspiration. Of course the answer isn't so simple, as I'm sure you now realize as we conclude this guide for current and future CEOs.

There are many different paths to superior outcomes in business. You will have to find your own path, one that suits your temperament, disposition, and natural aptitudes. Therefore, don't try to copy or emulate other leaders—including me. Don't ask yourself in tough situations, “What would Frank do?” That will only slow down the process of finding your own path.

Instead, make the most of your unique aggregate of experiences. Apply those experiences, and the insights we've discussed in previous chapters, to become a truer, more honed, more effective version of who you already are. Finding your own path, however long it takes, will unlock your personal power.

I've known many young CEOs who have all the prerequisites on paper: they're smart, energetic, hard‐working, ambitious. But then they get handed a big leadership role before they've had the necessary experiences to discover their own path. As a result, they often get bruised and bloodied. As hard as it can be to suffer the indignity of failure, those bad experiences later become the bedrock of their future ...