The couch in the corner office

Sometimes CEOs need an understanding ear--but they worry that confiding in a colleague isn't safe or smart. In order to speak freely, sometimes they hire someone from outside the office, like Leslie G. Mayer, an ear-for-hire. As founder of the Mayer Leadership Group, in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and a senior fellow at Wharton, she says she has listened to and advised dozens of top executives at companies large and small Recently, Mayer spoke with editor-at-large Leigh Buchanan about the personalities she has met in corner offices.