A few years ago, while running a workshop for new CEOs at Harvard Business School, I observed a surprising metamorphosis.
One participant, the newly appointed CEO of a global industrial company, instantly struck our faculty team as humble and unpretentious. When he arrived a few moments late, he apologized profusely because there’d been a wait at the airport taxi stand. When the morning class ended, he gathered his used coffee cup and found a trash can, while his peers left theirs for the staff to clean. As he departed, he commented on how unaccustomed he was to be staying at the Four Seasons—the hotel where we book all our CEO guests—because it was so fancy.
