10 Years Since "Tightrope"

Ten years ago this month, I published my first book, The CEO Tightrope.
 
My goal with Tightrope was to give CEOs something I saw lacking in the business literature: a holistic framework for mastering the CEO job.
 
In the decade since, I’ve worked with hundreds of CEOs on applying the framework I laid out in the book. This work—and some of the drastic changes in the world around us—has prompted all sorts of insights, refinements, and ideas. Here are a few things I’ve observed since the book came out, in no particular order:
 
1. Awareness of the central problem is growing. I have long believed we should “professionalize” the CEO job like we have every other functional area of the business. I think we need a set of best practices and tools and training mechanisms to help leaders master the CEO job, just like we have for positions like a sales executive or a CFO. We’re not there yet, but I do see more awareness of the issue, and awareness is the first step. Many elite business schools now of…