Nitin Nohria, former dean of Harvard Business School and long-time workshop instructor, shares insights from his new book on the challenges facing incoming chief executives. Drawing from decades of experience at The New CEO Workshop, Nohria outlines the fundamental differences between prior roles and the CEO position. He emphasizes that the job is unlike anything executives have experienced before, cataloging specific surprises that catch new leaders off guard.

When asked about the impact of technological change and geopolitical instability, Nohria offered a forward-looking perspective, suggesting that headquarters will become leaner while organizational intelligence shifts to the front lines. He predicts greater decentralization and the freeing up of capacity across organizations, though he notes the specific application of this change remains murky for most leaders. Alan Murray, president of the WSJ Leadership Institute, underscores the value of these insights for navigating the evolving executive landscape.

The Leadership Institute aims to redefine peer networking and development by leveraging Wall Street Journal insights to help industry leaders adapt to constant to stay changes.