Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Who Deserves To Be CEO?

Is it the one who is afraid to rock the boat OR is it that “Christopher
Columbus” daring to discover new territories? Is it the one who milks
the organization OR the one who nurtures his/her company? Is it the
one who just holds on to his/her hat OR is it the “change master”?

Many might say there’s a striking difference between “theoretical”
leadership and “applied” leadership… as many times, what is written
is not what actually happens… and yes, many times, it’s true.
That is why I say, Leaders should be proactive NOT reactive…
Leaders should be creative NOT traditional… Leaders should be
“change masters” to anticipate and adapt to the volatility of business
while seeking to improve it's environment.

Therefore, since theory could vary from actuality… “more than” just
relevant experience, Leaders NEED imagination and character; for the
Only REAL difference between theory and actuality is the “percentage”
of CHANGE that A Leader can handle.

See, if most CEOs are just “figure heads” who are scared to touch the
“status quo”… if most are just “puppets” who can’t stand his/her own turf…
it’s no wonder why these crisis has been cyclic as they are simply afraid
to REALLY take charge.

Traditional CEOs would probably look at this fact with sneer…
as “skeptics” have one thing in common – “lack of courage”.

Remember, Harry Truman? "The buck stops here."

Yet, many companies are pitifully led and content with their class C “leaders”.

Something must be wrong. No wonder organizations are wanting in REAL
Talent… suffering turn-overs left and right… and just producing mundane
results.

Realize that everything starts from the Top… it’s even the “law of gravity”.
As in building as well… if the “cornerstone” is weak, so would be the
structure.

Yet, how did they become CEO??

To be an admirable and dependable TOP honcho – you need FIRE.

Consider Rule Number 62 from “How To Become CEO” by Jeffrey J. Fox…

People who belong to the “should’ve club” are always saying, “I should’ve done
that”; “I could’ve done that”; or “I would’ve done that.” The “should’ve club” is full
of non doers, the risk averse. They never go for it. They are so afraid of losing,
they never plan to win.

The “should’ve club” is boring. The members never get cut or scratched. They
never miss a shot in the last second. There are no reprimands, and they make
no waves. There is not an Arnold Palmer or Chris Evert or Larry Bird in this club.

The “shouldn’t have club” is the place to be. This is the winners’ circle. Each
time you admonish yourself with “Gee, I shouldn’t have done that” there will be
ten other times when the results will prove you should have.

No guts, no glory.

See, “status quo” is simply “cowardice.” Yet this trend continues to affect
companies and society unchecked, why? Structured Thinking.

In the Holy Bible, we can see the ultimate example in JESUS… to which we
now relate it to organizational terms. Here, being the son of a carpenter (lack
of education or experience), the Pharisees (board or others with the power to
recruit) could not accept Him as the Messiah (CEO). They believe that the
Messiah should come from their “known line” (traditional hiring process or one
of them) of kings… without regard to the miracles (ability, etc.) he has done.
So, what did they do? They crucified (ship out or ignore) Him…
ONLY to repent (benefited by another) in the end.

Haven’t we learned?? People like these are bound to Succeed.
If we let cowardice, pride or envy govern us… we will just keep on with
mediocrity. There is just so much to accomplish... and there's no perfect
time but now.

"Perhaps the biggest responsibility of any corporation is to own up
when it makes a mistake."
- Lee Iacocca

An “Achiever” could already be amongst you yet you Never noticed. But if
we continue to live with this conventionality… “robots” would soon take over.
Funny? It’s your choice.

The Age of Knowledge is at hand… but are you “ready” to move forward?

“Your legacy should be that you made it better than it was
when you got it."
- Lee Iacocca

Remember…
The Deserving CEO has his/her own Mind.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Went through the blog - interesting and challenging writing, I must say. In today's Corporate world, just doing what has been done in a smarter and faster way is yielding the best results supposedly, and so every CEO or wannabe is just trying a few things which are different and keep the organization going, make his quick buck and move on.

There is no strength, no detailing, no outlook for the future of the business/industry/organization. It is just a few good awards, a few decent quarterly performances, and then comes a huge thud, but in many cases the effect of the thud is unfortunately felt by a new entrant who is unable to spot what is wrong and gets caught in the mould.

It definitely starts with the top, what is the vision, and how we aim to get that vision converted to reality. Most investors/chairman/bosses dont seem to care, and many have put their fingers into so many ne businesses that they dont seem to know how to run it. Success has taken them to certain heights, but to remain there they need to rely on someone else's expertise, and that so called expert takes this gullible man with money for a joy ride, as long as it can last.

I know for a fact that you need to explain what you do, to many managers of today, and then how to measure it also. So things are bound to go out of track, sooner than later. In the mad growth theory and in pursuit of always being there, the basics that we started business with remain forgotten. So the business may one day fail, but those initially associated with have made their buck and gone away. This is termed success and many are willing to risk it for this success.

Is there a need to relook- of course, but today many of us are scared of the implications with big lighthouses of industry having fallen or are being supported by government funds. We need someone who can rethink and change evrything that is happening to a different level of sustenance.

Lon said...

The key skill set, in my opinion, is leading teams through change. Most CEOs do not have this capability. They know the direction they want the company to head but do not know how to lead them. They have not had a mentor to show them how to lead teams through change. Will provide more content is you are interested.
lon.blumenthal@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Hi

Two comments:

Real boats rock, you need to control it, or it controls you.

The CEO does not need to be a columbus or a sword slashing buckaneer. He needs one hand on the throttle, one on the steering wheel, petrol in the tank and a good idea where to lead the boat.

Best regards

John