The Question Every CEO Should Ask

How many times have you been in a discussion about an organization with performance problems that ended with “but he really shouldn’t be the CEO”? The statement is often followed by adjectives like “long-term” and “loyal” and “team player”—and usually a list of what this person is good at. But being the chief executive officer (CEO) is not one of them.

The health and human service field (and many other fields) is full of CEOs in the wrong job. Part of it is the “Peter Principle,” a management concept developed by Laurence J. Peter—people in an . . .