BCG's organizational leadership expert Judith Wallenstein discusses the future of CEOs, envisioning a shift to chief ecosystem orchestrators. Topics include leadership traits, global volatility, AI impacts, and the need for diverse backgrounds. The podcast explores challenges, crisis response, and the evolution of executive roles in a changing business landscape.
The CEO role by 2030 will transform into a chief ecosystem orchestrator, focusing on external relationships and agile decision-making.
The future CEO requires traits like vulnerability, humility, and adaptability, emphasizing trust-building and nuanced leadership.
Deep dives
The Evolution of the CEO Role by 2030
By 2030, the CEO role is envisioned to undergo significant changes, transitioning from a model of high workload and learning curve to a more collaborative and specialized approach. The emergence of co-CEO arrangements challenges the traditional single CEO structure, offering a more complementary and diversified leadership profile. The discussion delves into the necessity of broadening the CEO role to adapt to the evolving complexities of the business landscape, encouraging a more team-oriented and expertise-driven leadership model.
Chief Ecosystem Orchestrator: Future CEO Role
The future CEO is reimagined as a chief ecosystem orchestrator, focusing on external relationships, corporate ethics, and agile decision-making. The paradigm shift necessitates traits like vulnerability, humility, and adaptability, emphasizing the importance of trust-building and nuanced leadership. The CEO of 2030 is expected to navigate volatile global challenges, striking a balance between external engagement and internal cohesion.
Path to Chief Ecosystem Orchestrator
Preparing for the role of chief ecosystem orchestrator entails acquiring cross-functional experiences, nurturing external networks, and embracing diverse knowledge domains. Executives are advised to cultivate versatility, strengthen external relationships, and enhance decision-making in ambiguous scenarios. The evolution toward this new CEO archetype emphasizes resilience, analytical rigor, and strategic prioritization in aligning with the evolving corporate landscape.
Peering into the future, BCG’s Judith Wallenstein paints a picture of organizational leadership upended by AI, global volatility, and blurring boundaries between companies that work together. She muses that the chief executive officer role may morph into a chief ecosystem orchestrator role and demand leadership traits and backgrounds far different than we see today. How would top executives deploy influence, foster trusting relationships, and welcome and accept challenges that enhance corporate decision making?
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