First-time CEOs want autonomy. Second-time CEOs want help.

One of the most common causes of failure for first-time CEOs is being too tied to their beliefs.

I've made this mistake myself. I came into my first CEO job wanting to do things my way. I had learned from good and bad CEOs, and I believed I had a better model. I felt confident that I knew what to do.

The problem is, the CEO job doesn't work like that. The requirements change. Cultures are different. The market shifts. The most pressing problems evolve. A mental model built in one situation very often does not apply to the next.

So I kept hitting my head against the wall. My operating cadence didn't change, even when it clearly wasn't working for the team. My strategy was based on my market knowledge, and didn't reflect enough of what the board and team believed. Even my style was based on a different culture.

In short, I couldn't accept that my mental model didn't perfectly fit the new situation.

First-time CEOs tend to hang on to their models too long. When things aren't going well, they argue with reality. They question the team, the board, or the data. And they end up on an island of their own making.

Second-time CEOs have a different mindset. They come in with an open mind and evaluate the situation without preconception. They assume their understanding is incomplete. They ask for help. They gather the board and team to build a new mental model together.

Confidence and open-mindedness can go together. The best CEOs have deep confidence in their ability to figure things out. And they have very low confidence that their mental model is the right one.

First-time CEOs want autonomy. Second-time CEOs want help.