When confidentiality replaces explanation, it shifts from protecting interests to exerting control, quietly undermining trust, accountability, and integrity.
In leadership, being liked is fragile currency. The moment standards are enforced or hard decisions are made, affection fades, revealing why respect, not approval, is what actually sustains authority.
At the C-suite, authority grows while expressive freedom narrows. Every remark becomes a corporate signal, teaching leaders that influence is exercised less through speech and more through judgment, restraint, and long-term accountability.
New research examines how board expertise and authority can shape whether overconfident CEOs drive technological breakthroughs or expose firms to strategic risk.