The CEO’s Guide to Success (Execution-First Leadership)

The CEO’s Guide to Success (Execution-First Leadership)

From The Modern CEO by Joe Leech

September 15, 2025 · 33 min · Season 2 · Episode 3

About this episode

In this episode, Joe Leech discusses the traits that separate good CEOs from great ones with Professor Steven Kaplan.

The Modern CEO Podcast, Episode 3: The CEO’s Guide to Success (Execution-First Leadership) What separates good CEOs from great ones? In this episode of The Modern CEO, Joe is joined by Professor Steven Kaplan of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, one of the world’s leading voices on CEO performance, hiring, and boards. About the guest: Steve Kaplan is a top private equity scholar and Chicago Booth professor. Co-created the Kaplan-Schoar PME and co-founded Booth’s New Venture Challenge. His students launched companies like GrubHub, Venmo, and Simple Mills. Named one of the top 12 business school teachers in the U.S. Serves on Morningstar’s board and has taught at Booth since 1988. Together they covered: 👉 Why execution (not likability) is the top trait of high-performing CEOs 👉 How to avoid “analysis paralysis” at the top 👉 What boards often get wrong when choosing a CEO 👉 Practical advice for founders preparing to hand over the reins 👉 The biggest blind spots leaders face in times of uncertainty Whether you're a CEO, board member, or aspiring leader.. this episode will challenge how you think about leadership and decision-making. 👉 Full episode available…

People in this episode

Guest: Professor Steven Kaplan

Topics covered

  • CEO performance
  • leadership
  • decision-making
  • execution
  • boards

Keywords

  • execution-first leadership
  • analysis paralysis
  • CEO hiring
  • founders
  • leadership challenges

Mentioned in this episode

Products: GrubHub, Venmo, Simple Mills

Books & works: The CEO’s Guide to Success, The Modern CEO, The Modern CEO Podcast

Places: U.S.

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