The CEO's Skill That Most Leaders Lack

And it's not the ability to see beyond the horizon

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If there's one skill that CEOs often lack, it's patience — and CEO patience in strategy is what makes or breaks real progress.

I work on 8 to 10 strategy projects a year — not counting my board work. But I’m not your typical McKinsey-style consultant. I’m a catalyst. A professional question-asker.

I don’t tell people what to do. I ask questions and help teams find their own answers. Because they’re the ones who’ll have to act on those answers — not me. Which means: working on strategy with me involves actual work.

Half the time, the initial enthusiasm CEOs and their teams show for strategy evaporates before we even get through the first set of questions.

There are two reasons for that:

1. We live in an age of instant answers. Posts like “5 ways to change your life in a month” don’t go viral by accident.

2. Everyone’s been infected with the famous Bias for Action, popularized by Jeff Bezos.

I always manage to bring the project to the finish line. But if the leader lacks patience, the problems will show up anyway — during implementation.

Strategy takes patience. CEO patience in strategy is what helps teams stay focused beyond the initial excitement.

• You have to dig deep into customer needs.

• You have to explore multiple ways to satisfy these needs.

• You have to test those solutions.

It’s not fast — and sometimes it’s just plain hard work.

Strategy rarely comes as a flash of insight.

Be patient. Your strategy will take time to emerge.

If you don’t have unlimited money to test every idea that crosses your mind, then what you need is a Bias for Thinking.

Recognize yourself in this?

If you’re facing similar challenges — stalled strategy, team fatigue, or a lack of patience getting in the way — let’s talk.

I help CEOs turn strategic thinking into progress. Just reply or reach out here, and we’ll see if I can help in your situation.

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I write about cognitive biases in business strategy, mental models for strategic decision making, and paradoxes in business strategy.

If you want to dive deeper into strategic thinking — and you're not afraid to face its paradoxes and provocations — read my book Red and Yellow Strategies: Flip Your Strategic Thinking and Overcome Short-termism.