What it takes to be a CEO in troubled times: Is the age of the extroverted, larger-than-life CEO coming to an end?

When google CEO Sundar Pichai calmly fields tough questions from employees at an all-hands meeting, or when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella calls empathy a superpower, it signals a quiet shift in corporate culture: Flamboyance is passé, modesty is motivating.

Experts and corporate observers say this cultural shift is also visible back home, where “dynamic leadership” has long been equated with charisma and visibility. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairperson of Tata Sons, has guided the Tata group through major transformations with a steady hand and a willing ear. Leena Nair runs Chanel with a people-first approach that prizes inclusion and listening as much as bold decision-making.

“The demand is for leaders who can listen deeply as well as inspire teams. It’s less about razzle and dazzle and more about balancing visibility with depth,” says Neha Parashar, an executive and career coach. “The classic image of the charismatic, stage-commanding CEO is losing sheen; the world has become too complex for the old archetype,” she says.

Indeed, the era of a flamboyant Richard Branson or a passionate Steve Jobs looks all but over. The current tribe of corporate leaders does not fit into the image of a larger-than-life CEO who rallies the room through sheer personality. In today’s hybrid, high-stakes workplaces, leaders who can adapt, listen and lead with quiet confidence are proving far more influential than those who rely on stage presence or chest-thumping.

Shiv Shivakumar, a corporate veteran, management thinker and author, says practical forces are chipping away at the superhero CEO myth. “Most of these so-called superheroes have been found wanting. Look at Jack Welch, Jeff Immelt, and many global bank CEOs and heads of Indian conglomerates,” he says. Also, shorter tenures mean little time to craft a towering image: “The average CEO’s tenure in India is 4.2 years versus 7.2 globally,” says Shivakumar. Market cycles and transparency intensify the pressure. “Poor FMCG results over the past four years have humbled many, and with social media and platforms like Glassdoor, two-faced CEOs are getting quickly exposed,” adds Shivakumar, who has led Nokia as CEO (Emerging Markets) and PepsiCo Holdings, is Chairman of the Board at Vadilal Industries, and sits on multiple corporate and academic boards.

Vineet Nayar, Founder, Sampark Foundation & former CEO of HCL Technologies, looks at the change through a generational lens. The Gen Z workforce, with abundant opportunities, is amplifying the demand for authenticity and purpose. For them, leadership is not about charisma or showmanship, but about alignment between values and action. “Gen Z is posing sharper questions to prospective employers: What purpose does this organisation serve beyond profit? Does the culture value people as much as productivity? Is there genuine commitment to society and environment?” says the IT industry veteran. This explains why many young professionals are rejecting traditional corporate paths in favour of start-ups, social ventures, and purpose-led organisations.

Yet, Nayar cautions against confusing personality with substance. “Much is being written about the decline of the extroverted CEO and the rise of the ambivert leader, one who can switch between introvert and extrovert traits. It’s an attractive storyline but misses the essence of leadership,” he says. “Leadership has little to do with whether one is an extrovert, an introvert, or an ambivert. History shows us that people do not follow behaviours, they follow ideas.”

Nayar draws inspiration from history to illustrate why personality is secondary to purpose. “Religious leaders are the best proof. They do not pay salaries, yet they inspire millions. Some are powerful orators, others remain silent for years, but both command loyalty even after their lifetimes. The reason is simple: followers are moved by the ideas they represent, not by how they say it,” he says. There is no one right answer, adds the IT industry veteran. “We needed Steve Jobs’ articulation during transformation, yet he picked his opposite in Tim Cook. Bill Gates did the opposite. Leadership is not about behaviour. The difference is conviction, not charisma. The real transformation people should attempt is moving from personality to purpose, from behaviour to belief.”

A New Era?

Shivakumar rejects the idea of labelling a CEO as strictly extroverted or introverted. “Leadership behaviour is always in context,” he says. “If the company needs energy, the CEO has to step up on the extroverted aspects. If the company needs reflection, he or she needs to be introverted. The best CEOs know when to switch.” He says what defines effective leadership is connection and not personality type. “Connected leaders stay close to people in the organisation, to society, and to regulators. That connectedness matters far more than any label of introvert, extrovert, or ambivert.”

For Nayar, leadership boils down to belief, not personality. “The questions that matter the most are: What do I intrinsically believe in? And is that belief inspiring enough for others to follow?” he says. If a leader’s belief system resonates, people rally around him or her with speed and intensity; if it doesn’t, no visibility or stage presence can compensate, says Nayar. In today’s transparent world, Nayar adds, belief systems are quickly revealed. “A leader who speaks of being ‘employee-first’ but takes actions that contradict it is exposed instantly. Consistency between belief and action matters far more than whether you are extroverted or introverted.”

While ambivert leaders are praised for balancing data with empathy, Nayar prefers a different framing: “Leaders anchored in belief have a compass that allows them to weigh both logic and intuition without losing direction.” Crises may favour extroverts who dominate the narrative, he says, but when the dust settles, belief-driven leadership sustains trust.

Parashar seconds that. “Look at Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji, and Ratan Tata, admired for conviction, not flamboyance. Even global icons like Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai stand out for thoughtful presence, not theatrics,” she says.

Parashar says today’s leaders can’t operate on just one note. “They need to be ‘socially bilingual’, able to command attention, but also skilled at listening and reflecting,” she says. Data on Indian leaders reinforces this point: while they score high on recognition and power, they also value altruism, a desire to give back to the community and data-driven decisions. This calls for ambiversion. Parashar, in her coaching practice, often sees leaders realise that “I don’t need to always be the loudest voice. Sometimes the most powerful thing I can do is listen.” She says this approach doesn’t diminish ambition but amplifies it. “The best leaders don’t just occupy the stage. They make space on it for others,” she says.

Evolving Demands

From her vantage point in executive search, Toral Patel, Managing Partner at executive search firm Accord Group India, sees a clear shift in what boards and promoters expect from top leaders. “Given the radical pace of innovation and disruption, it is imperative for successful leaders to study, develop, and deeply assess the impact of their response to any business challenge. These factors tend to drive the principles of ambivert leadership,” she says.

Patel says early-stage businesses and start-ups, where market and customer development are critical, still need leaders with strong extroverted skills. Client expectations have shifted noticeably in the last four-five years, she says. “The pandemic accelerated the demand for empathy, emotional intelligence, and strategic as well as entrepreneurial thinking. Clients may not always use the word ‘ambivert’ but the qualities they seek are evolving in that direction,” she says. When organisations hire senior talent, they rarely label these qualities as ambivert. Instead, they describe specific combinations of behaviours: “assertiveness with humility,” “vision with execution,” “big-picture thinking with attention to detail,” and “credibility over authority.”

Patel says ambiverts leadership can adapt communication and behaviour to different situations and individuals. “Effective ambivert leaders use the empathy and listening skills common in introverts along with the confident communication and social abilities of extroverts to build consensus, foster collaboration, and connect with diverse team members,” she says. This nuanced skill set can be harder to assess during executive hiring. “You have to evaluate qualities like deep thinking while recognising that the person may display both introverted and extroverted behaviours in a single discussion,” says Patel. This complexity requires more layered evaluations, case studies, empathy-led conversations, psychometric assessments, and deeper reference checks focused on operating style.

On where demand is strongest, Patel believes it is less about industry and more about the stage and context of the business, as well as its cultural DNA. “Mature businesses, larger conglomerates, and scaled organisations often veer towards ambivert traits, whereas start-ups and new-age companies may lean towards extroverted leadership,” she says. The demand for ambivert leaders will only increase. “Leadership has never been as complex as it is today. It is essential to cater to multiple, often disparate stakeholders. Ambivert leaders foster an environment of learnability, adaptability, self-evaluation, and growth, qualities that will become even more critical over the next five to ten years as clients mature and leadership requires a balance between softer responsibilities and commercial performance.”

The Strengths

Shivakumar sees a clear advantage in hiring quieter and ambivert leaders. “People feel this person will listen, will give them a chance, will be balanced. As a result, they are at their natural best and say what’s on their mind,” he says. Such leaders bring “reflection, inquisitiveness, and quiet confidence,” creating a space where employees feel heard and valued.

Ambivert leaders occupy a unique middle ground in the Indian context. Patel explains: “They can inspire both introverts and extroverts, handle diverse tasks and levels of engagement, create inclusive environments, and excel in high-pressure situations with a calm, balanced perspective combined with thoughtful decision-making.” Their ability to move between energising teams and stepping back to reflect makes them well suited to the complexity of modern workplaces. However, Patel cautions that context matters. “Clients who want charismatic leaders due to business context and culture may see ambiverts as a less compelling choice. But those prioritising balance often view them as the right fit.”

Learned Skill and Strategic Edge

Can ambivert leadership be developed? Parashar believes it can. “Personality can shape where you start, but the ability to flex, to stretch into behaviours outside your default, can be built,” she says. Drawing from her coaching experience, she explains how introverts train themselves to speak up more while extroverts work on listening and reflection. “I often recommend micro-practices, small, intentional shifts, like an introvert taking up a visible project, or an extrovert holding back his opinion until others speak. Over time, these create big changes,” says Parashar. In India, where leaders often lean towards recognition and power, stress can push them towards excessive boldness or impulsiveness. “They start working on a more balanced style through feedback and reflection,” she adds.

Parashar sees ambiversion as a clear competitive advantage. “Ambiverts are socially bilingual. This flexibility is priceless in today’s volatile environment. Externally, ambiverts know how to show up with investors, media, and other stakeholders, as their public face shows clarity and conviction. Internally, they allow themselves to slow down, listen deeply, and create psychological safety for their teams.” This balance, she says, builds trust, an asset that drives sustainable performance. “Ambivert leadership isn’t about changing who you are, it’s about expanding how you show up,” she says.

Leading in a Hybrid Workplace

Hybrid work has rewritten the playbook for leadership. Parashar says leaders today operate in “a far more complex world post-Covid” where expectations have shifted dramatically. “They are making decisions around flexible workplaces, inter-generational teams, and now the assimilation of AI. The structure of the workplace, the composition of the workforce, and even what work looks like have changed fundamentally,” she says. Leading teams that mix generations, cultures, employment models, and even machines and bots is, “challenging to say the least,” she says.

Parashar highlights “managing energy” as the biggest test. “Hybrid work demands that leaders constantly shift gears, solitary work the one moment, high-energy collaboration the next,” she says. Connection is another hurdle. “Extroverted leaders may dominate in-person meetings and overlook remote voices while introverted leaders struggle to energise hybrid discussions. Decision-making too feels harder, top-down certainty no longer works when no one has all the answers. Leaders have to balance deep listening with decisive action, which can stretch both introverts and extroverts.” For Parashar, ambiversion, the ability to flex between reflection and action, visibility and listening, is key to sustaining energy for both leaders and teams. In hybrid world, leadership is less about volume and more about range, she says

The traits organisations prize are shifting as well. Shivakumar says work-from-home and hybrid models have eroded traditional workplace relationships.

“Teamwork has become more difficult. A lot of meetings happen online, and online, you cannot be a quiet leader, as people expect you to speak and show energy,” he says. In his view, virtual settings favour extroverts over quieter leaders. Even celebrations require rethinking when employees are dispersed across physical and digital spaces.

Conviction Over Charisma

For emerging leaders who fear that a softer voice might hold them back, the advice is clear: conviction matters more than volume. Shivakumar acknowledges that a quieter style can be a challenge “in a loud company, in a company that values bravado over reflection” but stresses that results, and how they are delivered, define success. “One of the things a quieter leader should use strategically is silence. When a leader is silent on an issue, it makes people nervous,” he says. Shivakumar also recommends asking insightful questions of boisterous colleagues and “outsourcing some of the extroverted aspects” by empowering team members to play devil’s advocate, ensuring robust debate without forcing the leader to dominate the room.

Nayar has advice for young leaders: “Stop benchmarking yourself against personality. Visibility should amplify belief, not substitute for it,” he says. For him, listening deeply, reflecting honestly, and acting consistently create far more following than any display of charisma. “If you have a strong conviction and can articulate it clearly and convincingly, it adds steroids to the transformation you are attempting. But what you believe in will always come first.” 

How To Nurture Ambivert Leadership

Challenge the Extrovert Bias: Move past the preference for loud leaders; value those who balance presence, reflection, and action

Invest in Coaching: Coaching fosters self-awareness and skill development. Extroverts can learn to listen and create space for others, while introverts can build visibility and influence

Design Inclusive Workplaces: Hybrid models support ambiversion by enabling deep work and collaboration. Practices like sharing agendas in advance and written inputs give quieter voices the room to contribute

Normalise Energy Management: Let leaders recharge their way. Introverts may need solitude, and extroverts interaction, to sustain flexibility and performance

Balance Confidence with Humility: Results must come with responsibility and community focus. Outward confidence matters, but reflection, listening, and adaptability now define true strength