Time and again, we see the same pattern: an exceptional VP or executive—someone who has built their reputation on operational excellence, sharp execution, and deep expertise—stumbles when elevated to the enterprise stage.
Why? Because the shift to becoming a CxO is one of the most underestimated leaps in leadership. The habits that once defined success can quietly derail it.
Nic Cutts
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
In this article, we explore the key mindset shifts first-time C-suite leaders must make to thrive, and the concrete steps CHROs can take to support them.
In our work advising CHROs, we consistently see three critical mindset shifts that determine whether first-time CxOs succeed or stall. Each represents a leap in perspective that CHROs are uniquely positioned to guide.
First-time C-suite leaders experience a profound identity shift. Success is no longer measured by what they personally deliver but by the impact they enable across the enterprise.
Jennifer Flock
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
Many new executives struggle to let go of control. They try to add value by diving into operational detail, but that’s not what the organization needs. The work becomes about strategic influence—distilling vision, communicating strategy, and aligning others through clarity and culture.
This shift can feel deeply uncomfortable. Most leaders rise because they were the ones who “got it done.” Orchestration demands a new mastery: empowering others without over-directing, aligning teams without micromanaging. It’s less about personal accountability for results and more about instilling shared accountability with those around you.
True orchestrators lead less through instruction and more through intention. They set the direction, clarify priorities, and create the conditions for others to perform at their best. Their impact is measured not by how much they personally deliver, but by how effectively they align and enable others to deliver at scale.
Still personally intervenes in operational details or approvals.
Measures success by activity volume rather than collective outcomes.
Described by direct reports as “hands-on” or “in the weeds.”
Becomes a bottleneck for signoffs.
As a functional expert, success often comes from mastering a domain: finance, marketing, operations, people, or technology. But as executives enter the C-suite, they must shift their perspective from depth to breadth—from stewarding a function to stewarding the whole enterprise.
The challenge is to now make decisions that advance the organization as an integrated, living system. It’s about serving the company, not yourself, by focusing on purpose, legacy, and the impact you create for others.
Christiana Vonofakou
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
We often see new executives cling to functional loyalty. Their instinct is to defend their domain rather than advance the enterprise. They can get stuck trying to win arguments rather than align priorities.
Instead, they need to think and act like T-shaped leaders: retaining deep functional expertise (the vertical of the “T”) while broadening their horizontal reach across the organization.
This allows them to balance competing priorities across business units, geographies, and stakeholder groups; think systemically—understanding how choices in one area ripple across others; and let go of the instinct to advocate purely for their own function, instead aligning their agenda with enterprise value creation.
Making this shift requires a recalibration of what “great leadership” looks like. It’s less about optimizing your part of the machine and more about shaping how the machine works together. Enterprise leaders think in terms of ecosystems, not departments. They prioritize the long-term health of the whole over short-term wins in their silo—all of which demands a higher degree of political and emotional intelligence, and an ability to read the room.
Lobbies for functional budgets or departmental wins at the expense of enterprise priorities.
Hoards talent rather than shares it across the organization.
Rarely participates in peers’ initiatives unless formally invited.
Uses language like “my team” and “my P&L” rather than “our business.”
Competes for resources with other functions with little consideration of what’s best for the business as a whole.
Many first-time C-suite leaders reach the top because they are exceptional problem-solvers. They have built their careers on diagnosing issues quickly, mobilizing teams, and delivering solutions under pressure. Yet in the C-suite, that strength can become a liability.
Scott E. Smith
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
Before moving to the C-suite, leaders need to shift their mindset from responding to today’s challenges to engineering the organization for the future.
Rather than asking, “What’s broken and how do we fix it?”, they need to ask, “What’s emerging, and how do we evolve?” The focus expands from short-term performance to long-term capability—shaping systems, culture, and strategy that make the enterprise more adaptable over time.
It’s also a shift in time horizon and altitude. Many executives operate with a short-term lens, focused on quarterly performance. But at the C-suite, they will be responsible for multiple time horizons: current-year delivery, near-term growth, and long-term strategy. The challenge is being able to balance short- and long-term focus, knowing when to zoom in to solve immediate issues and when to step back to shape the organization’s longer-term ambitions.
Some of the most successful C-suite leaders are storytellers about the future of their businesses. They connect the dots to build narratives about the future that inspire confidence, even when the path ahead isn’t clear. It’s about framing the questions that will define the next decade—and positioning the organization to be able to answer them.
Talks mostly about current issues, rather than future opportunities.
Lacks a clear narrative about where the function or enterprise is heading.
Prioritizes firefighting over strategic planning.
Employees describe a reactive, “heads-down” environment.
The move to the C-suite is a crucible moment—for the leader, the team, and the CHRO who guides them. It’s not about perfecting skills; it’s about rewriting identity.
By guiding leaders through these three mindset shifts, CHROs can turn promotion into transformation. They create leaders who think in systems, act with empathy, and operate with enterprise purpose. And in doing so, they secure what every organization needs most: a C-suite capable not only of navigating complexity but of defining the future.
Ultimately, CHROs are both architects and stewards of executive readiness. The interventions you design can determine whether first-time CxOs ascend confidently or stumble under pressure.
Nic Cutts is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. He is based in Dubai.
Jennifer Flock is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. She is based in Paris.
Scott E. Smith is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. He is based in Dallas.
Christiana Vonofakou is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. She is based in Munich.
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