I was asked this week by a CEO what I felt was the most difficult activity in leadership. We had quite a spirited conversation about this question but did not reach any specific conclusions.

Let me present some of the points upon which we touched which:

Dealing with difficult people – including dealing with those who are unethical
Dealing with one's personal work/life balance
Being visionary - truly coming up with significantly clear and anticipatory visions of the future
Working under conditions with limited resources
Truly delegating – letting others be free to act

He shared with me that moving into the CEO role itself had been his biggest challenge in leadership. As he became CEO, he felt pressure that he was “always on stage,” was not as free as he once was to think out loud or to relax and let down, and that the consequences of his mistakes were greatly magnified.

I plan to ponder these points further over the next few months. I would welcome any feedback from others.