Occasionally a new vacancy hits the desk that looks like a dream job on paper. Big title. Big salary. Strategic responsibility. The sort of role where you’d expect to have a genuine seat at the table. And then we speak to the CEO…
It usually takes about five minutes to realise that this isn’t a role for someone who’s going to arrive with grand ideas about transformation. This is a role for someone who knows how to read the room, spot the non-negotiables, and quietly work around them.
These are the businesses that have been built by strong personalities. Often family-owned, sometimes founder-led, and nearly always run by someone who’s done it their way for decades. The kind of person who’s not used to being challenged, because their instincts have usually been right. They’ve grown something from the ground up, they’re proud of it, and they’re not about to let someone new come in and tell them it’s time for a rethink.
From the outside, these companies can look like they’re crying out for modernisation. Inside, the reality can be very different. The CEO might be bright, decisive, even visionary in some respects, but completely immovable in others. It’s not that they’re blind to the issues; they just don’t care enough to change them.
And that’s where the challenge lies for anyone stepping into a senior role.
You can walk into that environment with the belief that your job is to fix things, to modernise, to make an impact. But if you don’t have the freedom or backing to actually do it, you’ll find yourself spending a lot of energy pushing against a wall that simply isn’t going to move.
It’s easy to tell yourself that once you’re inside, you’ll win hearts and minds. That with enough diplomacy and results, you’ll earn the right to influence. Sometimes that’s true. But more often, it’s not about how persuasive you are; it’s about whether the person at the top wants to be persuaded in the first place.
Some leaders thrive on new perspectives. Others see them as a nuisance.
Neither type is necessarily wrong. It’s their business, their risk, their name above the door. But if you’re the one taking the role, you need to know which kind of leader you’re dealing with before you decide whether it’s the right fit.
There are people who can work brilliantly in these setups. They don’t fight every battle. They understand what matters to the boss and what doesn’t. They know when to let something slide, when to plant a seed quietly, and when to push a little harder. They build trust first, and progress follows in increments.
But there are others who simply can’t do it. They want a clean slate, proper authority, and the space to build something in their own image. And when that space doesn’t exist, frustration quickly sets in. The title starts to feel hollow, the energy drains, and before long they’re looking for their next move.
It’s not that one approach is better than the other. It’s about fit.
So when you’re looking at your next big opportunity, and the role sounds perfect on paper, don’t stop at the job title or the salary. Ask the right questions about decision-making, autonomy, and how much real authority comes with the role. Listen carefully to how those questions are answered. The words “you’ll have full support” can mean very different things depending on who’s saying them. Because sometimes, the only person you’ll ever really need to convince is the CEO. And sometimes, you never will.
That doesn’t make it a bad job. It just means you need to go in with your eyes wide open.
Not every senior role is about changing the business. Some are about keeping it steady. Some are about managing expectations. And some are about learning how to influence from the edges, quietly and patiently, while the person at the top continues to do things their way.
So before you sign the offer, ask yourself one question: do you want the title, or do you want the authority that should come with it? Because they’re not always the same thing!