Confidence is contagious. So is uncertainty. 

As more first-time CEOs step into the corner office, they are embracing the role with notable self-assurance. Many believe they’re well positioned to lead their organizations through the next wave of disruption and opportunity. Boards, however, are far less convinced. 

Data from Korn Ferry’s Annual Board and CEO Risk Survey reveals a growing confidence gap between new CEOs and the directors charged with overseeing them—particularly around technology, AI and future risk.  

More than half of first-time CEOs say they feel prepared to manage AI and emerging technology risks, and many are actively seeking peer engagement to learn, adapt and accelerate. By contrast, fewer than one-third of board directors express the same level of confidence. Many are still working to understand both the opportunities and the risks inherent in major technology investments and AI initiatives, while trying to ensure management is focused on the right priorities. 

This confidence divide is most pronounced between first-time CEOs and the boards they serve—and it may be less about capability than context. 

One explanation lies in how many of today’s CEOs reached the role. A significant share were elevated or recruited under accelerated—and sometimes reactive—circumstances rather than through deliberate, long-term succession planning.  

CEO turnover over the past two years has moved at an unprecedented pace, fueled by economic volatility, geopolitical instability, activist pressure and rapid technological disruption. Some tenured leaders stepped aside voluntarily, unwilling to shepherd their organizations through yet another generational shift. Others were forced out. 

As a result, many boards appointed first-time CEOs faster than planned and with less preparation than desired. Survey data underscores this reality: only 15 percent of both directors and CEOs believe their organization did a good job preparing the new leader for the role. Between 50 percent and 60 percent point to succession planning starting too late as the single biggest challenge in their most recent leadership transition. 

And despite these numbers, just one in five directors now lists reviewing the CEO and senior executive succession plan among their top priorities for 2026, according to the latest What Directors Think report—down from 37 percent post-pandemic, suggesting boards may have moved on from succession discipline just as the consequences of weak planning are becoming most visible. 

At the same time, change hasn’t been limited to the executive suite. Boardrooms themselves are in flux. Last year, S&P 500 companies saw 418 director departures—nearly a 12 percent increase year over year—while adding 374 new directors, leaving some seats unfilled. In many organizations, first-time CEOs and newly appointed directors are still getting to know each other, navigating roles, expectations and trust in real time. 

Here again, the data is telling. Fewer than 15 percent of CEOs and directors say they feel fully connected to and trusted by one another. Less than one-third report actively building strong working relationships.  

In that environment, confidence is hard to sustain—on either side of the table. Closing this confidence gap will be one of the most critical governance challenges boards and executive teams face in the years ahead, especially as organizations evaluate and fund large-scale technology and AI investments. 

Encouragingly, both CEOs and directors recognize the issue and acknowledge where alignment is falling short. That transparency is an important starting point. 

There is also substantial agreement on what matters most. Both groups believe new leadership better positions organizations to navigate rapid technological change, economic volatility, geopolitical risk and evolving talent needs. They align on the importance of building AI fluency and engagement across the workforce as a foundation for future success. 

The data makes one thing clear: leadership change in periods of disruption always carries risk. But boards and CEOs increasingly understand that the upside—fresh thinking, new capabilities and renewed energy—can outweigh the uncertainty. Confidence, like transformation, rarely arrives all at once. It builds gradually—until suddenly, it defines the future.