04:05 GLOBAL
Being close to a CEO works the same way:
First of all, the influence of the people around a CEO is directly connected to the fate of the company. Someone in the position of a close friend, even with good intentions, can lose their objectivity. Supporting every decision the CEO makes, pushing critical thinking into the background, or softening realities out of a “protective instinct” can create the conditions for poor decisions. More dangerously, the CEO is often unaware of this because trust weakens the instinct to question. How Does This Close Friendship Begin? Leaders tend to give opportunities to people they trust more and communicate with more frequently. There is also a tendency to perceive people who resemble them, in terms of thinking style, background, education, or communication style, as more competent and therefore feel closer to them. Or the CEO may gradually bring people they already trust, work well with, and feel confident about, into a closer inner circle over time. Closeness is not always born from favouritism. Sometimes it develops naturally, almost like a companionship forged through struggle.
At first, it feels like trust. Then it creates speed.
Then it makes decisions easier. And that is the most dangerous blind spot of all: The leader no longer sees the person closest to them as a source of influence. The close person no longer sees their influence as power. But the organisation sees both. Being close to a CEO can look like a privilege from the outside. A relationship built on trust, fast communication, and proximity to decision-making mechanisms… But this closeness often brings with it complex and even dangerous dynamics that are difficult to notice. Especially the role of the “close friend” which can blur professional boundaries and unintentionally place the leader in a vulnerable position.
Supporting every decision the CEO makes, pushing critical thinking into the background, or softening realities out of a “protective instinct” can create the conditions for poor decisions.
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GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 24
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