
In the corporate world, when we finally make it to CEO, we become company leaders. This is not a position many people know firsthand—if Zippia’s estimate of over 38,708 chief executive officers in the U.S. is correct, that means CEOs make up just 0.0001% of the country’s population. C-Suite executives and vice presidents also experience the feeling of knowing what it takes to be a leader, but not all leadership is alike.
Getting a seat on a company board might feel like sitting at the top of the food chain, and as leaders of our companies, we might all assume we know how to take the lead on a board. But running a board is not like running a company. All board members—especially CEOs, for whom roles most often cross—should recognize the difference between the leadership it takes to manage a company and lead a board.