Leadership On A Tightrope

Philippe Petit, the high-wire artist made famous by his walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, once said of his craft, "You must not fall. When you lose your balance... jump. You must move forward."

It strikes me that this fairly well sums up the job of being a CEO in our disrupted age. You must maintain balance despite the forces buffeting you on all sides. But you also have to maintain forward momentum and keep your sights on the overall direction towards which you are leading your organization. You must not stand still.

Is it any wonder, then, that about 60% of CEOs in our annual AlixPartners Disruption Index tell us they are worried about losing their jobs. Over half say that they need to significantly change their organization's business model this year, but most do not know where to start. You begin to see the scope of the challenge.