Who would you give credit for Chennai Super Kings’ recent IPL victory? Dhoni’s leadership, his experienced team or the CSK ecosystem? It wasn’t difficult to spot how relaxed he looked with the Chennai outfit compared to his previous stint. Much of this crew was at Pune too. I would attribute the victory to CSK’s ecosystem which made leaders like him feel like they belonged. For me ecosystem support is the air CEOs need at the top.

You may argue that champions should be able to perform in different environments and the surroundings shouldn’t matter. But many corporate examples tell us that the ecosystem is equally important for leaders to produce the best results. Think of successful corporate leaders who couldn’t reproduce their magic when they switched camps. Groupon’s Andrew Mason, Yahoo’s Marissa Meyer, numerous CEOs at HP all had excellent track records. But, they aren’t remembered the same way at these places like in their previous ventures.

Ecosystem influence

Leaders are human too. They need a sense of connectedness, support and familiarity to perform at their optimum level. That explains why leaders like to take former colleagues along when they take up new assignments. They want a few familiar faces around them to give them a level of comfort. Additionally, CEOs need the support of all stakeholders – board, partners, immediate reportees and extended teams – to be successful in their new jobs. Yes, CEOs are stars of success and villains of failure. But, nobody can ignore the ecosystem that propels them either way. Most leaders are told to build that ecosystem or manage it well. It’s called shrewd politics at one level and stakeholder management at another. Nevertheless, every CEO you talk to will acknowledge the power of the ecosystem that they inherit or create.

Replicating success

Many CEOs with long tenures are reluctant to move jobs in spite of attractive offers. This is due to the fear of a change in the ecosystem. Some CEOs who move negotiate funny things to maintain the status quo as much as possible. They bring in their old secretaries, make deals to work out of the city they live in even if the headquarters is elsewhere. All said and done, you can replicate your comfort zone only to a limited extent. Could this be the reason most boards opt for internal succession rather than appoint outsiders? The ecosystem’s connection to the internal contender is often crucial.

Therefore, the premium for CEOs who can create magic in new settings is high because they are a rare commodity. Some of us are used to our bosses, a few of us to the culture, many to our team and place of work. A leader is able to perform if he gets all these in the right doses.

That is why some of the traditional companies don’t change leaders in spite of interim stock market pressures.

Outside leaders

When I was negotiating an offer from an MNC, my would-be boss asked: “Are you sure you can handle the new world of structures and processes?” I was contemplating a move from a large entrepreneur set-up. I persuaded myself it would be no different as the customer and the industry segment was similar. I was wrong. It turned out to be a complex transition where I felt unfit for the job for the first year or so.

In my opinion, we all carried policy manuals to every meeting. If the customer or an employee asked a question, we would say we would get back to them. Speed was an enemy and then there were multiple forces. Besides your own not so loyal reportees, you had to manage regional and global headquarters. For most of the time, I felt I was at war with multiple departments of the organisation to get things done.

The larger issue I faced was that of trust. Though they hired me for my track record and experience they also curbed me with a complex rule book and approvals. People who had worked with me earlier started to complain that I was off-colour in this stint. Truth be told, I never felt like I belonged to the cause till new leaders took over, changed the entire ecosystem and my ownership.

The change

Every time an organisation under-performs we call for the head of the CEO. As much as CEOs are in charge they are also a product of their ecosystem. Yes, they can change or influence the behaviours of their circle. But, it’s an uphill task in most cases to simultaneously battle boards, demotivated employees, disgruntled customers and sulking partners. But a CEO who has a sense of belonging, an association with the organisation and is trusted by the board always has the edge.

If we dig deeper it appears that Dhoni is the latest but not the only example. Leadership is meant to be lonely at the top but counterproductive without a sense of belonging and support from the ecosystem.

Kamal Karanth is Co-Founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm

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