Order and chaos. That is the balance beam, one foot in order and one foot in chaos. Order is what we know. Chaos is what we do not know. We bring order to chaos by exploring its value in relation to what we know. Assigning value is the framework of hierarchy.

The role of the CEO is to bring order from chaos. The most significant chaos is the future. The future remains chaos because it remains unknown (in spite of economists and futurists who claim to know).

That solitary role at the top must make decisions today in the face of that chaos. Why do some (very few) people land in that role? It is not mathematical logic, only one CEO per company that explains why there are so few, relative to the population. It is the value stream of hierarchy. There are not that many people with stamina against the unknown. CEOs are accountable five to ten years into the future. Most people can hardly make plans to account for the uncertainty of next week. Some people can make effective plans for the uncertainty of next month, or next year. But five years is a very long time. Elements of what we know now and call by name are only concepts in the future of five to ten years.

The primary role of a CEO is to think. Think conceptually. Most people are not very good at it. Some people who land in the role of CEO may not be very good at it. Successful CEOs are those who stand in the face of uncertainty, make decisions today, solve problems today understanding the risks of chaos in five years.

Successful CEOs are those with the capability to bring order out of chaos.