The World Class Leaders Show: The CEO leadership podcast for leaders who solve big problems and build better futures.

Most leaders are trained to lead inside one system: one company, one market, one culture, one playbook. But what happens when your career requires you to move across countries, governments, boardrooms, startups, and global power structures — and still build trust?
In this episode, Andrea Petrone sits down with Arun M. Kumar, Managing Partner at Celesta Capital, former Chairman and CEO of KPMG India, and former Assistant Secretary of Commerce under President Obama. Arun shares leadership lessons from working with Ratan Tata early in his career, representing the United States in global commercial diplomacy, leading thousands of people at KPMG India, and now investing in deep tech across the US-India corridor.
This conversation is about the leadership skill that rarely appears in strategy decks but matters everywhere: the ability to build trust across borders, cultures, hierarchies, and systems. Arun explores why purpose, decency, teamwork, transparency, and cultural fluency are not soft ideas — they are essential leadership capabilities in a fragmented world.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/
_________________________________________________________________
Follow Arun M. Kumar:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/arunmkumar
Website: arunmkumar.com
Book: The Global Trade Paradigm
Company: www.celesta.vc

There are four words that could rebuild trust on your team, surface the best thinking of the people around you, and lift a weight off your shoulders you've been carrying for years. Most CEOs will never say them, because saying them feels like the opposite of what the job demands.
In this episode, we unpack why "I need your help" is the hardest sentence in leadership. Drawing on Adam Bryant's conversations with over a thousand CEOs, we look at how self-reliance becomes the very reflex that carries leaders to the top and then quietly starts working against them. Because the problems at the top are too big, too complex, and too buried in other people's heads to solve alone.
We also get honest about what it costs a company when the CEO never asks. Teams stop volunteering their best thinking, problems get escalated too late, and the whole organisation bottlenecks around one person. Then we get practical, with three small ways to start asking this week.
If you've ever caught yourself thinking "I'll just figure this out myself," this one's for you.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/

Most leaders are taught to push harder, move faster, and never give up. But what if that mindset is exactly what puts their health, judgment, relationships, and long-term performance at risk?
In this episode, Andrea Petrone sits down with Sébastien Page, Head of Global Multi-Asset and Chief Investment Officer at T. Rowe Price, author of The Psychology of Leadership, and a leader overseeing more than $500 billion in assets under management. Sébastien shares the personal health crisis that forced him to rethink resilience, performance, and the real cost of ambition.
This conversation explores what leaders can learn from psychology, sport, finance, and high-pressure decision-making — from feedback and strategic patience to goal-induced blindness, time management, ego, and the importance of meaning in work.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/
_________________________________________________________________
Follow Sébastien Page:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastien-page/
Book: The Psychology of Leadership
Company: https://www.troweprice.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@sebastienpage

In this episode of The World Class Leaders Show, I unpack the pattern I've observed across more than a decade of coaching leaders at the top and that Adam Bryant confirmed after interviewing over a thousand of them. The CEOs who perform under the most pressure almost always share the same origin. They were shaped by adversity. Not as a metaphor. As a lived reality that burned away hesitation and replaced it with a kind of drive that can't be taught.
I walk through what that adversity actually looks like, why it creates such an unusual capacity for pressure, and the four categories that shape exceptional leaders including the one that dominates all the rest. But I also go into the part nobody warns you about. The same wiring that forged these leaders often becomes the thing that quietly limits them. The inability to ask for help. The instinct to carry everything alone. It feels like strength. It makes things harder.
This episode is for CEOs, founders, and senior executives who want to understand where their drive actually comes from and whether the survival instinct that got them here is still working for them, or running the show without their permission.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/

Most CEOs are trying to figure out how to turn AI into real strategic value, not just productivity gains.
In this episode, Andrea Petrone speaks with Charlene Li, a bestselling author and leadership advisor, about why AI transformation is not just a technological challenge, but also a leadership, cultural, strategic, and decision-making challenge.
Charlene explains why the companies that win with AI will be the ones with clear direction, strong leadership conviction, and the courage to break through internal resistance.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/
_________________________________________________________________
Follow Our Guest:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charleneliWebsite: charleneli.com

In this solo episode of The World Class Leaders Show, I unpack the pattern I've seen destroy more leaders than any market shift ever has. It's not uncertainty that breaks CEOs. It's what uncertainty creates inside them.
Under real pressure, most leaders revert to the version of themselves that used to win. I call this Achieved Identity and under pressure, it takes the wheel without asking permission. It feels like leadership. It makes things worse.
I walk through the three things that break down every time a leader is under sustained pressure, why the sequence matters, and the exact steps one CEO took to lead through a company in crisis without losing himself in the process.
This episode is for CEOs, founders, and senior executives who are carrying real pressure right now and need a clearer sequence for moving through it without losing themselves in the process.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/

AI is not going to destroy every software company — but it may expose the ones without a clear strategy.
In this episode of The World Class Leaders Show, host Andrea Petrone is joined by Dr John Bates, CEO of Doxis, a former Cambridge computer science academic, and a technology leader who has built and led five successful companies.
John shares what he has learned from leading through the dotcom crash, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, COVID, and today’s AI disruption. He explains why CEOs must stay focused on business value, sharpen their positioning, and avoid panicking when markets shift.
The conversation explores AI, crisis leadership, competing with giants like Microsoft and Box, the burden of CEO transparency, and why every leader needs trusted people around them when pressure is high.
John also reflects on why transformation can be more powerful than starting from scratch, why great CEOs must sometimes act as agitators, and what it really takes to lead with clarity when uncertainty never seems to end.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/_________________________________________________________________
Follow Our Guest:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjohnbates Learn more about Doxis: https://www.doxis.com
 

In this solo episode of The World Class Leaders Show, I explore one of the most difficult leadership risks for CEOs to recognise: the moment when the operating mode that created success begins to limit the organisation. Using Tim Cook’s transition at Apple as a lens, I examine how strength, identity, and context can quietly fall out of alignment at the top.
This episode is for CEOs, founders, successors, and senior executives who sense that what used to work is no longer creating the same momentum. I explain why leadership identity is not fixed, why operating modes have a shelf life, and why the most important work for a CEO is often not becoming more capable, but becoming more appropriate to the moment the business is actually in.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
 
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/
 

Most leaders say they’re ready for change. Very few are ready to lead when the answers are incomplete, trust is not yet earned, and the pace keeps accelerating.
In this episode of The World Class Leaders Show, Andrea Petrone sits down with Francesca Lagerberg, CEO of Baker Tilly International, to explore what leadership really demands in today’s environment: building trust fast, making decisions without perfect information, leading through ambiguity, and creating the kind of mindset that helps organizations adapt at scale.
Francesca shares what it was really like stepping into the CEO role as an outsider, how she approached her first 90 days, why trust must be earned before strategy can land, and what leaders often misunderstand about leading change in large, complex organizations.
This conversation also goes deeper into the future of leadership: the role of AI in knowledge-based businesses, how companies should think about upskilling talent at scale, why diversity of thinking matters more than ever, and what it actually feels like to carry the responsibility of the CEO seat.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to build trust and credibility in a new leadership role
Why the best CEOs make decisions before all the information is available
What it takes to lead change at scale inside a complex organization
The difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset in leadership
Why repetition, consistency, and role modeling are critical in transformation
How AI is reshaping knowledge work and leadership development
What Francesca has learned about pressure, resilience, legacy, and the real meaning of being a CEO
If you’re a CEO, senior executive, founder, or aspiring leader navigating growth, pressure, and uncertainty, this episode will give you a practical and honest look at what world-class leadership requires now.
Subscribe for more conversations with world-class leaders on leadership, transformation, CEO mindset, and decision-making in high-stakes environments.
 
Timestamps[00:00] - Teaser and introduction of Francesca Lagerberg[02:48] - Walking into a new organization as an outsider[04:39] - Building trust and credibility as a new CEO[07:21] - The 90-day plan, quick wins, and resisting pressure to move too fast[09:09] - A non-linear career path across audit, tax, advisory, and beyond[11:28] - Leading through change on incomplete information[16:32] - Communicating strategy through repetition across 50,000 people[22:11] - The fusion of humanity and AI in knowledge-based industries[24:32] - Rethinking retention and maximizing shorter tenures[30:03] - Being the first woman to lead a global accounting network[33:44] - Diversity of thinking and the empty chair technique[38:39] - What it really means to be a CEO and why it's worth it[41:16] - Handling pressure and the power of collaboration[46:03] - Legacy, going for it, and advice for aspiring CEOs[47:47] - Trusting your gut, building great teams, and keeping your humor
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
_________________________________________________________________
WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
_________________________________________________________________
1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
_________________________________________________________________
COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
_________________________________________________________________
NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
_________________________________________________________________
MORE FROM ANDREA
Follow our Host Andrea Petrone on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapetrone/  
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/andreapetrone_x
Follow The World Class Leaders Show:
Apple: https://shorturl.at/JZAmQ
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/DSHUl
LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-world-class-leaders-show/
Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/
_________________________________________________________________
Follow Our Guest 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescalagerberg/
Website: https://www.bakertilly.global/
 
 

The first six months as a new CEO is where authority is decided, where the leadership team forms its view of you, and where the organisation calibrates to your signals. Most new CEOs who struggle don't fail because they lack capability. They fail because they make early mistakes that feel like the right call at the time.
In this solo episode, I walk through five specific mistakes I see new CEOs make in their first six months — the impulse to prove you deserve the role, the quiet retreat into a former expert identity, the delay in confronting leadership team gaps, the failure to align with the board before aligning the organisation, and the corrosive gap between stated values and actual behaviour. These aren't theoretical risks. They are patterns that compound fast, and each one carries a cost that grows the longer it goes unaddressed.
_________________________________________________________________
BOOK PRE-ORDER
📘 My new book 'Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure' (Wiley) is out in October. Pre-order your copy now:
👉 BOOK PRE-ORDER LINK
_________________________________________________________________
FREE GUIDE
Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO?
Grab your FREE copy of '10 Foolproof Ways New CEOs Establish Authority From Day One':
👉 Download - https://bit.ly/10-fool-proof-ceo-strategies 
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WCL21
WCL21 is a private, curated community of CEOs running mid-market companies. Monthly roundtables, masterclasses, and confidential conversations that don't happen anywhere else. We're in the founding member phase — a few seats remain.
👉 Request your invitation: https://andreapetrone.com/wcl21 
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1:1 COACHING
Want to work with me directly? I coach a small number of CEOs and senior leaders each year through exactly the challenges in this show.
👉 Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30
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COACHING APP
Want to grow as a leader on the go? My Executive coaching app helps Directors, VPs and C-suite leaders build world-class leadership habits, guided by the Throughline™ framework: Identity, Message, Presence.
👉 See the app: https://studio.com/apps/andreapetrone/executive
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NEWSLETTER
Join 183,000+ leaders who read my weekly insights on leading at the top:
👉  https://www.andreapetrone.com/newsletter/
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MORE FROM ANDREA
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Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com
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Website: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/