C-level does not automatically mean inner clarity. It’s high time to get honest.
Attitude begins where it becomes uncomfortable.
And this is where leadership and function separate.
In my work with C-level men, I experience the same void behind the shiny facade time and time again:
Doubt. Emptiness. The fear of being found out.
“I run a company, but inside I feel like an impostor.”
This is not an isolated incident. It’s a system.
Many of us have learned to confuse attitude with control. Strength with loudness. Leadership with power.
But real attitude is silence. Clear. Non-negotiable. And above all: independent of status.
Ask yourself honestly:
- What will remain of you when you relinquish the title?
- Do you know your values – or just your goals?
- What would your team say you stand for if you weren’t in the room?
Male leadership is not toughness. It is clarity.
Clarity about what is really important to you.
Clarity to maintain integrity despite pressure.
Clarity to stand even when everyone else is sitting still.
Attitude is not shown in your speech.
But in decisions you make even though they cost you something.
In sentences you say even though they make you vulnerable.
In moments when you don’t betray yourself.
It is easy to simulate attitude.
It is difficult to live it – in the midst of expectations, markets, crises and boardrooms.
But that is exactly what makes a man a leader.
If you can lead yourself, you can lead others.
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