One of my all-time favorite movies is Gladiator. The main character, Maximus, is the ultimate leader. I’ve always admired his humble yet powerful approach to leadership. His troops followed him out of love and passion for who he was and everything he stood for. He didn’t lord it over them. He was from among them and had a vision that drove him through unbelievably difficult and tragic circumstances.
His direction came from Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who envisioned a Rome where people were treated fairly, voices were heard and leaders served the needs of the people. That same vision—of harmony through shared purpose—is one today’s CEOs must revisit as they guide organizations through complexity and transformation.
One of Maximus’s most quoted lines is: “Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity.” Purpose rooted in character still fuels powerful leadership. Whether during the Roman Empire or in today’s digital economy, transformation—both cultural and operational—demands leadership that balances confidence with humility. That’s not easy, especially at the top.
Throughout my career, I’ve often told my teams: “Leadership matters.” But great leadership—like Maximus’s—is rare. Why? Because the strongest leaders live in the tension of dissonant qualities. As Jim Rohn once said: “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”
It’s this balance that defines not only who we are as leaders, but how our organizations evolve under our watch.
How CEOs Can Lead with Both Power and Humility
1. Identify when strength turns into control. One of the easiest traps for powerful leaders is mistaking control for competence. I’ve worked under leaders who sought to personally direct every decision, manage every variable and insert themselves into every discussion. Their need to own outcomes created decision bottlenecks, stifled innovation and pushed talented people to disengage. The result wasn’t better performance—it was paralysis.
Recent research reinforces this reality. A 2024 study published in the Central European Management Journal found that authentic leadership—marked by transparency and relational integrity—directly reduces turnover by strengthening knowledge-sharing and trust across teams. In other words, when leaders loosen their grip, their teams actually hold tighter to the mission.
2. Build structures that empower smart people. True leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about knowing how to make space for other smart people to thrive. Delegating isn’t simply offloading tasks; it’s a strategic move that reinforces a high-trust culture. CEOs who intentionally elevate their lieutenants foster innovation that scales, rather than ideas that rely solely on one mind at the top.
This isn’t just philosophy—it’s performance strategy. According to McKinsey’s 2024 survey on achieving growth, companies led by executives who empower their teams and foster a growth mindset significantly outperform their peers. These leaders don’t just give authority—they define frameworks, set expectations and then step back. That kind of leadership doesn’t just build capacity; it multiplies it.
3. Own your missteps—and learn from them. No one gets this balance perfect every time. I’ve personally leaned too far into authority during times of uncertainty. In moments where humility was needed, I allowed insecurity to dictate my response—and lost influence as a result. At the time, I didn’t have the support system or coaching I needed to see the gap clearly. That experience taught me that self-awareness isn’t a soft skill, but a survival trait.
This is where CEOs often falter: the assumption that strength means never showing weakness. But in reality, modeling accountability (especially after a leadership misstep) strengthens your organization’s emotional maturity. Owning failure builds trust, and trust builds resilience. Especially in today’s high-stress, high-stakes environments, that kind of modeling isn’t optional. It’s essential.
4. Model the culture you want to scale. Culture doesn’t come from slogans or policies. It flows directly from how leaders show up. Your behavior, your tone, your presence in meetings: all of it sends signals. And your leadership team will echo those signals down through the organization, whether consciously or not. The only way to sustain a healthy culture at scale is to embody it at the top.
And there’s real urgency behind this. DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025 reveals a sharp decline in trust across leadership ranks. Only 29 percent of leaders now trust their managers—a dramatic drop from 46 percent in 2022. Coupled with 71 percent of leaders reporting rising stress levels and 40 percent considering leaving their roles, we’re looking at a crisis of confidence. CEOs who lead with clarity and empathy have a rare opportunity to restore faith and retain top talent.
The Leadership Balance Sheet
Leadership is full of paradoxes: strength and gentleness, vision and adaptability, confidence and curiosity. Every trait taken too far becomes a liability. The leaders who understand how to balance those traits—who operate with principled consistency—drive transformation and achieve sustainable results.
We are long past the point where control is mistaken for competence. Today’s CEOs must lead with an open hand, not a closed fist. That approach isn’t just a better way to lead—it’s a better way to build companies that last.
Final takeaway for CEOs: Ask yourself, “What does your team see when they look to you for direction?” If it’s control, they’ll hesitate. If it’s empowerment, they’ll lead with you. The challenge of leadership is real, but the rewards echo far beyond the moment.
