Inc.com described the following ways of how the role of a CEO differs from the role of a leader.
You can’t please everyone
Ideally good leaders should protect their employees and encourage people to come up with new ideas. Sometimes, however, this is not possible and the CEO needs to recognise such situations when they arise. The company as a whole is more important than the interests of one team or person within it.
You have to understand different leadership styles
Good leaders need to be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. CEOs should also be familiar with different styles of leadership and have the ability to deviate from their own personal preferred style when required. They may be influential types who prefer to inspire and give people space to reach their own conclusions. However, there are occasions when they simply has to issue instructions without allowing any scope for debate.
You shouldn’t ignore your instincts
Quite the contrary, in fact: relying on intuition rather than hard data may be hard to justify rationally but Zak suggests it can often lead to better choices in the long term. Of course, no method is fool proof.Good leaders trust their intuition; CEOs trust but verify. If they have lingering doubts, they at least check them out before making a final decision.
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