CEO Think: Blog
How CFOs Can Help Prevent Board BlowUps
CFO Magazine’s online edition has asked me to write a monthly column about improving the CEO/CFO dynamic in mid-market companies. The first article just went up, and focuses on interacting with the board of directors. READ MORE >
Lance Armstrong: A Positive Influence on Management?
There are thousands of Lance Armstrong-like people working in companies today. People who have a win at any cost approach, who poison teams, destroy a company’s sustainability and ultimately harm the company’s mission.
Is there a Lance Armstrong on your management team?
Avoiding Growth That Leaves You Broke (Part 3) Calculating the Odds of Successful Execution
CEOs excited about growth often open the purse strings too widely and wind up in financial crisis. Yet it is true that you have to spend money to make money. So what’s the right balance?
CEO Experience Navigating Fiscal Cliffs: Lessons for Washington?
Mid-market CEOS are experts at managing fiscal cliffs, unlike Washington which has us teetering on the edge, and as of today, most likely falling off the cliff head over heels.
I did some thinking about the lessons that VC backed CEOs could teach Washington, and have written my latest post on just that subject.
The Lesson of H-P for Mid-Market Companies
Hewlett-Packard’s $8.8 billion write-down of its $11 billion purchase of Autonomy Corp. is a stark lesson for all mid-market company CEOs who plan to grow via acquisition: Do your homework and then do it again because (unlike H-P) your firm’s survival may depend on it.
Business Leadership Lessons from Obama and Romney
Hard fought battles in politics and business leave people bitter and angry at those who opposed their view. That’s bad for business.
Not unlike Obama and Romney, we business leaders must keep leading even after the battle is over. Our job: to rebuild an environment of mutual respect–even between companies.
How to Avoid the Killer Acquisition
The odds of successful acquisitions are dismal. A Federal Trade Commission paper says 50% of deals for companies large and small are not successful. This is troubling news for mid-sized firms, which can’t afford the losses of a bad deal as easily as a Forbes Global 2000 company can. In fact, it’s especially troubling because many mid-market CEOs assume they merely need to avoid acquiring sizable companies and opt for small, “bolt-on” firms instead. I wish it were that simple. But it isn’t.
Reducing the Risks of a Deadly Acquisition
Beware of acquisitions for the sake of diversification. Such acquisitions carry significantly higher risk and complexity for middle market companies. Read about how to assess the level of complexity, and what you can do to mitigate that risk.
Why Strategies Go Awry: Vision Fixation
Some CEOs are too passionate—too religious about their company’s vision. They stick to it and refuse to change even when it’s apparent to many that the strategy must be adjusted. Read about structures and processes that can help introduce reality into a passionate CEO’s thinking before it’s too late.
Attempted Growth Can Leave You Broke: Part II
Predicting market demand can seem like a dark art. Many companies have collapsed because they spent money on plan, but the market failed to respond in time. Read about simple steps the members of the c-suite can take to pursue both primary and secondary research that will illuminate market forces.
Robert Sher is founding principal of CEO to CEO, a consulting firm of former chief executives that improves the leadership infrastructure of midsized companies seeking to accelerate their performance. He was chief executive of Bentley Publishing Group from 1984 to 2006 and steered the firm to become a leading player in its industry (decorative art publishing).