Would Einstein have made a good CEO?
We can’t say of course, but I think he probably would have been a disaster. Not because he wasn’t an elite-level intelligence, but because elite-level intelligence does not a great CEO make.
Einstein was unmatched as a theoretical physicist and scientific groundbreaker. His mind changed the world. But his deep expertise and the ability to sustain work on one seemingly impossible problem are just about the opposite of what the CEO job demands.
As a CEO, you need breadth over depth, delegation over mastery, judgment exercised through other people rather than applied directly to the work.
The trap so many CEOs fall into is thinking that their demonstrated expertise and intelligence—factors that made them such standout leaders in their career—will translate once their business card says “Chief Executive Officer.”
I see this often with executives who rise through a particular function. A great sales leader becomes CEO and continues to spend an outsized amoun…
