I came across this article last week in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Where’s the Boss? Trapped in a Meeting” that made it sound like CEOs weren’t productive and spent large amounts of time in meetings, at lunches and traveling, with as little as six hours per week working solo.
Nobody wants to start a fight. Yet in many cases “playing nice” is uncalled for and may indeed hurt your business. Ask yourself these twelve questions before you cross the line.
Many executives and companies have a built in limiting factor, just like the governor on a gas pedal. Here’s how you can prevent micro-management at the highest levels from stifling your growth.
High maintenance employees sap all the energy from team and upper management. Here are some examples of the breed and suggestions for resolution of the problem.
Loyalty to your employees is admirable, particularly when they’ve served the company well. But what happens when their performance slips? Do you have the toughness to put company loyalty first?
Debates are necessary tools, but ultimately decisions must be made. Debates without decisions send your team round and round in circles. Here are the three most common manifestations of this distraction and four strategies for mitigation.
Do you have capable managers on your top team? That won’t be enough. Managers like/need to be told what to do. Leaders (executives) create momentum on their own, making decisions as needed to achieve an objective. Collecting and growing an excellent leadership team is one of the most critical aspects of a CEO’s job.
Any business cycle downturn produces unique opportunities for the CEO who is prepared to take advantage. What systems and people should you have in place, and when should you strike?
Don’t be shy about fighting battles, even when the odds are long. But know how to pick your fights: there are some cases when you just can’t win. It’s all about getting beyond the problem with the least damage. Here’s my process for upping the win-loss average.
Adverse customer decisions impact much more than our financial statements. They affect CEO values. This is a consequence that all of us as chief executives must think deeply about.
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).