When a CEO is hard to work with, the ripple effects can be quick and damaging. If your CEO is unpredictable, dismissive, or intolerant of dissent—but still delivering on financial results—it can be tough to know how to lead effectively from the middle. Here’s how to protect your team and influence upward. 

Manage up with intention. Focus on alignment, not appeasement. Frame your ideas around what matters most to your CEO—like growth, investors, or clients—and make your messages concise, structured, and backed by external validation. 

Create clarity with agreements. Reduce confusion by building explicit agreements with peers on communication, decision-making roles, and meeting flow. Once aligned, present these agreements to the CEO as tools to speed execution, not limit their authority. 

Use external voices. If your CEO dismisses internal concerns, bring in client, investor, or market feedback to strengthen your case. Third-party input can shift instinct-driven debates into evidence-based decisions. 

Form a peer coalition. Coordinate with other leaders to present unified strategies. Collective influence is harder to ignore, and solidarity helps reduce isolation when tensions rise. 

Practice strategic patience. Start with small wins that build trust. Then seed mid- and long-term changes that match your CEO’s tolerance for disruption.

Adapted from When Your CEO’s Leadership Creates Chaos by Jenny Fernandez and Kathryn Landis
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