The CEO Mirage - Seeing Through the Illusions of Business Leadership
ABOUT THE BOOK: THE CEO MIRAGE
Leading a business-or just managing the illusion of success?
In today's high-pressure business world, CEOs and founders are often celebrated for vision, charisma, and bold strategies. But behind the spotlight, many leaders fall victim to illusions-false beliefs about growth, culture, and control that ultimately bring companies down. The CEO Mirage strips away these illusions and exposes the leadership traps that undermine even the most talented executives.
Drawing on over twenty-five years of experience across global sports, retail, startups, and private equity, John B. Gearing delivers a brutally honest assessment of modern leadership. From boardroom politics to founder myths, he reveals how ego, optimism, and misplaced confidence can create the illusion of success-while quietly eroding the foundation of the business.
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ILLUSIONS OF LEADERSHIP
The Strategy Illusion
Organisations spend enormous time discussing strategy while execution quietly deteriorates.
The Loyalty Trap
Promoting loyalty over competence slowly poisons organisations.
The Superstar CEO Myth
Charisma and storytelling do not build businesses. Systems, teams and operational discipline do.
The Meeting Economy
Corporate life increasingly rewards activity rather than results.
What Leaders Are Saying
HOW THIS CONNECTS TO MY WORK
The themes explored in The CEO Mirage reflect the work I do with founders, investors and boards through Global Sports Advisory.
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My focus is simple: helping businesses cut through complexity and execute clearly.
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Typical engagements include international expansion strategy, operational restructuring, investment due diligence and board-level advisory.
