01/4/22

CEO Shoptalk – Talent Spotting, the Louisiana Maneuvers of September 1941

A good CEO is always hiring and a great CEO is always looking for talent — talent spotting.

General George C Marshall was hailed by none other than Winston Churchill as the “Architect of Victory” for the manner in which he planned and executed the decisive American involvement in the war.

The most important element of his work may have been his ability to spot and develop talent within the American general officer corps.

But, what exactly did Marshall do that was so significant as to earn that title? Continue reading

01/30/14

Key Hiring Tips

Big Red Car here.  It’s right at 35F headed to 65F today.  Can’t wait for the sun to get into the game today.  [I’m tired of winter.  Hahahaha, Big Red Car, you don’t know about winter.  Those poor folks in the South are really suffering, so STFU already, Big Red Car.]

So The Boss has had several conversations with his brilliant CEOs about the issue of hiring key employees. Continue reading

09/14/13

Entrepreneurial Panic

Big Red Car here.  Another day in paradise where the summer extends until, say, well — it never really ends except for our 5-day winters.  On Earth as it is in Texas!

So The Boss is reading about a discussion of “entrepreneurial panic” and had a few thoughts he shared with one of his brilliant CEO clients.  I listened in and here is what they talked about.

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07/10/13

The Character Traits and Skills of the Successful CEO — Organization

Big Red Car here.  Another great day in the ATX and why not?  So we’ve been chatting about what makes a successful CEO, those critical character traits and skills that seem to be possessed by those rare beasties.  Things that others can emulate and copy on their way to success.  [Hey, “monkey see” “monkey do” is a legitimate personal growth strategy, haha, Big Red Car.]

One of those elements of success at the CEO level is the ability to organize things in an orderly manner and to harness the clarity of that organization to provide insights as to how to proceed — how to take the next step.  In many ways, organization is the prelude to preparation.  Preparation is prelude to action.

Organize, prepare, act — hmmm, sounds similar to crawl, walk, run.  They are related, Old Sport.  Oh, yes, they are.

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06/26/13

Employment and hiring process

Big Red Car here.  Nice sunny warm day here in the ATX.  It is summer, Old Sport, and it is going to be a warm one.

So The Boss was visiting with one of his CEOs and they got to chatting about the hiring process from a mechanical perspective.  The Boss loves nothing as well as a well defined and streamlined process and a process graphic.

At the end of the day, the hiring process is really a search or discovery function — finding the right person for the right job.  It is most surely a process.

Continue reading