CEO Responsibilities

What is a CEO's responsibility?  Truly there are things a CEO should do, and I’ve listed them on this site on a page called CEO Job Description. But at a deeper level, a CEO is a leader, and one of my favorite authors on leadership is Walter Bennis. Many years ago I read his books and listened to his tapes, and there was so much good information, I began taking notes so I could remember the kernels of wisdom. Sadly, it was on a mini-computer, and all I have left today is a paper copy of it, safely tucked into my personal “book of wisdom”. But I’ve bit the bullet and had it re-typed below.
 

On to the discussion of CEO Responsibility:

There are four tests to help you best express you---to be yourself.

1. Knowing what you want; and knowing your abilities and capacities, and knowing the difference between the two.
2. Knowing what drives you and knowing what gives you satisfaction, and knowing the difference between the two.
3. Knowing your values vs. your organization’s values, and measuring the difference between the two.
4. Having measured all of the above, are you able and willing to overcome all these differences?

Drive is only good when in the service of desire—when one has a passion for life.

To generate trust, leaders need four qualities:
1. Constancy for those who follow them.
2. Congruency. No gap between the theories they espouse, the words they say, and the lives they lead.
3. Reliability. They are ready to support co-workers when it counts.
4. Integrity. They honor their commitments and promises.

The Five Qualities of a Leader
1. Technical Skills
2. People Skills
3. Imagination and Creativity
4. Judgment and Taste
5. Character

Leaders will have in common:
1. A broad education.
2. Boundless curiosity and enthusiasm.
3. A deep belief in people and teamwork.
4. A willingness to encourage risks, and to take them.
5. Devotion to long term growth, not short term profit.
6. A commitment to excellence, readiness, virtue and vision.

Ten factors leaders can use for coping with change and forging a future:
1. Leaders manage the dream. They create a compelling dream and translate it into reality. They lead through a shared vision and shared objectives.
2. Leaders embrace error. They create an atmosphere where risk is encouraged.
3. Leaders encourage reflective backtalk. They must develop it throughout the organization.
4. Leaders encourage dissent. They hire not reflectors but compensators.
5. Leaders possess the Nobel factor. It includes optimism, faith, and hope. Boundless optimism.
6. Leaders understand the effect of the Pygmalion effect. A manager’s treatment of his subordinates largely creates that person’s performance. Effective managers establish high but realistic expectations.
7. Leaders have the Gretsky factor. They know where the organization must be if it is to grow.
8. Leaders must see the long view, and have patience.
9. Leaders understand stakeholder symmetry. They balance all the different demands.
10. Leaders create strategic alliances and partnerships with firms whose fates are tied in with theirs.

Characteristics of Leaders

Leadership is an elusive commodity. While more than 300 definitions exist, the following has stood the test of time: Leaders are able to inspire others to accept their authority and follow their direction.

Effective leadership is accomplished by positive influences exerted on people individually or en-masse: directly through personal appeal and magnetism; indirectly through organization; or by various combinations.

Leadership is neither distilled in a laboratory nor programmed by a computer. Leadership is the sum total of many qualities found in individuals.

What are these qualities?

First and foremost, leaders have integrity. Stemming from integrity is a genuine sincerity that is easily recognized. It is a sincerity free from deceit, pretext and hypocrisy that allows leaders to win the faith and confidence of others while making them feel comfortable with accepting their leadership.

Leaders know who they are. They recognize their own strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, they have confidence in their ability to succeed. A leader’s self-confidence reassures and energizes the leadership team(s) and motivates others to action. Leaders like being who they are and have self-esteem.

Leaders are positive. They believe things can be accomplished. They are winners because they know they can win! As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can—or cannot—you are right!” No-one has solved a problem, invented a machine, formulated a plan or accomplished one progressive thing by thinking it couldn’t be done. There is no place in the leader’s mind for negative ideas or negative emotions. Leaders must concentrate on what can be done.

Leaders make decision; they accept responsibility. Leaders have the courage, determination and tenacity to stand by decisions as long as they think they are right. They must also have the honesty and courage to realize and admit error when wrong.

Leaders are intuitive. They have a sense of timing. They seem to know when to put certain plans or programs into action, when to move forward quickly and when to stop and reverse the field while driving for their goals.

Leaders have a vision: But they also have a game plan. Leadership is doing. It is making things happen. It is putting people into action. It is moving people forward. It is constantly looking to the future—but it must be in accordance with a preconceived plan. A leader uses problems as ladders. They are tests. They stimulate ideas. Ideas, coupled with knowledge and wisdom, create plans and programs. Plans and programs create happenings.

Leaders are ambitions but do not abuse power. They have a strong will, driven by strong desire. Leaders also must be able to assess, understand and exploit the ambition of those working with them.

Leaders have knowledge. They do their homework. They study the issues and formulate their ideas based upon knowledge. And they are wise in application of knowledge.

Leaders have the ability to persuade. They express themselves well and they are good listeners. They have mastered the art of communication and they use it effectively.

Leaders have a competitive spirit, but when they lose, they get up and try again! They sometimes lose the battle, but they hardly ever lose the war!