CEO Think: Blog
Making a Good First Impression
Meeting with a firm for the first time, I had trouble getting into their offices – the front door was locked and there was no bell. CEOs are reminded to check up on what visitors feel and perceive when they encounter the firm for the first time. READ MORE >
Get Out!
Many CEOs spend too much time in the office. Get out into the marketplace and investigate with an open mind. You’ll find new ideas and new realities that will give you clues about shaping your business.
The Human Side of Mergers and Acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions have a developed a reputation for being brutal, callous and indifferent about the people involved. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A good outcome, for both parties, requires both sides to treat each other well.
The Right to Win
Winning is business is much better than just surviving. But does your business have the right to win? Here are some key attributes behind winning and ways to evaluate whether your business is on the right road.
To Serve or to Lead?
The CEO leads and their underlings serve them. Or at least, that’s the traditional business paradigm. Back in 1982, Robert Greenleaf wrote a book that turned this structure on its head.
Staying Sane when Things Go Wrong
All CEOs are confronted with tough situations from time to time. But keeping a productive mindset is a big step toward solving – or even dealing with – your problems.
Selling through Education
The degree of specialization in our world has reached this point: many businesses offer services that their potential customers don’t understand. If prospects don’t understand your value proposition, they won’t buy from you. Bob Brown, CEO of Teladata, found a way to leverage free education into higher sales.
Running the Company That is Your Family
Business success occupies much of our time, but when the unexpected occurs we remember the ultimate importance of relationships.
Dealing with Unhappy Customers
Customers and clients are the life blood of a business. But your relationship with them doesn’t end with the sale. How you treat problems – and they will occur – will shape your company’s public image and have a hard impact on the bottom line.
The Secret Plan: Listen, Think and Learn
Too often we favor our own ideas, to our detriment. Here’s my secret plan: ask, listen and learn as a first step in most things. But my listen and learn secret plan can be difficult to follow.
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).