Category Archives: CEO duties

02/12/17

Problems and Owning Them — CEOs Only

Big Red Car here on a listless Sunday afternoon. Been to church for a good sermon, wondering if the minister was talking directly to or about ME. That hurts. I think he wastalking about me.

So, The Boss is talking to a lot of new client CEOs and there is a troubling new development bubbling up. Not really troubling, but noteworthy.

You must own your problems if you are going to deal with and overcome them. This is different than saying, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”

Go read: Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys — Advice for CEOs << link 

The Boss is always reminded of a time when he was in the Army when a pal of his, in a moment of extremis, said, “Hold my beer. I’ve got to deal with this.”

“This” was a couple of long-haired-ruffians of the City of Brotherly Love bar fight scene who did not like soldiers, a common enough occurrence at the time. The odds were a little out of balance — two of them, one soldier. The Boss was available as a reinforcement, but his pal said, “I own this problem and I’ll fix it.”

There was some theorem of calculus or quantum physics which gave rise to the clash of ideas. I can’t remember exactly. In the end, the soldier (a Ranger School grad) handled the problem quite nicely though The Boss did drink his beer. Bought him another one.

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01/26/17

Employee Retention, It Can Be Easy — CEOs Only

Employee retention, Big Red Car? Sounds boring, BRC.

Big Red Car here touring the great state of Florida — not me, The Boss. Come home, Boss. Get back to work.

So, The Boss is talking to a bunch of his CEOs — brilliant all — and the subject is key employee retention, which The Boss says is just employee retention, key and otherwise.

All of the CEOs say, “I’m a great CEO. Always looking, always scouting for talent, always hiring.”

“What,” asks The Boss, “does that have to do with keeping your people? Employee retention?”

They agree on the answer, “Nothing. It’s just another thing good CEOs are doing — talent spotting. Has nothing to do with keeping the people you already have.”

In 33 years of CEO-ing, you will learn a few things because if you can’t keep your people, you won’t be a CEO for very long. Boom!

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09/5/16

Delegation — For CEOs Only

Delegation. Today we talk about delegation.

But, first, a weather report. It is a perfect day in the ATX because the Texas Longhorns beat the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame last night in a fabulous game decided in two overtimes. Go Horns! It is the start of the Shane Buechele era in Longhorn football but it was a great win all around. OK, that’s enough. Sorry. Hook ’em, Horns!

The ability of a CEO to delegate tasks effectively is a force multiplier and one of the most important skills a CEO can develop. It is a mechanical skill and today the Big Red Car is going to help you learn how to do it. It’s like being able to fly fish. A bit of local knowledge plus a ten-to-two cast and you are eating smoked trout whenever you want. Listen.

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04/23/16

Decisions Better Ones – For CEOs

Big Red Car here. Decisions, y’all. Decisions.

This is a post redux from the The Characteristics Traits and Skills of the Successful CEO — Decisionmaking post from some time earlier. I am running it again because I continue to see a number of CEOs who are struggling with forming and making decisions.

CEOs have a hard job which entails making a lot of decisions many of which they are making for the first time. Sorry, that’s the job you’ve chosen.

But it doesn’t have to be as hard as you make it. You can streamline it by taking a process approach to how you frame and make decisions. A better methodology will end up with better decisions and you will expend less energy and create less angst by having such a process at your fingertips.

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04/12/16

Changing CEOs — What Is The Process?

Big Red Car here in the ATX waiting on another dawn and another great day cause this is Austin by God Texas. On Earth as it is in Texas!

So, today, we chat about the orderly change of command when you get a new CEO. This is really targeted on current CEOs and to be new CEOs.

Nobody ever talks about how CEOs hand companies over to new CEOs because it is often accomplished at the end of a plank when a CEO is unceremoniously deleted — no, I meant “fired” or “terminated” or sent to “pursue other interests.” No, I meant fired. Sorry.

It happens.

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03/4/16

The Voices in Your Head — For CEOs Only

Big Red Car here on a glorious and unusually sunny day in the ATX. On Earth as it is in Texas, y’all!

So The Boss is engaged in a convo with a brilliant CEO about a month ago and it resonates in his head until it finally makes its way to his brain — oh, oh that may not be too diplomatic, Big Red Car?

A CEO has voices in his head which she must learn to ignore and some that the same CEO needs to embrace. Do tell, Big Red Car? [Those keeping score at home, the “he” and “she” were on purpose. OK, now back to our regular programming.}

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02/16/16

CEOs at the Nexus — For CEOs Only — Throwing Off the Winter Blues

Big Red Car here on a day when he could not come up with a good Google Adwords title for the post. Sorry.

But, hey, not to worry, going to be 85F today in the ATX. Ahhh, a Texas winter!

So, I’m eavesdropping on The Boss and a couple of his CEOs chattering about this and that and the subject comes to — “How does a CEO grab the company and shake them up a little when things are going fine? No crisis but needing a little shaking up? Throw off the winter blues?”

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01/10/16

Teams, Subteams, Relationships — For CEOs Only

Big Red Car here. Brrrr, it was cold yesterday. It is a single digit above freezing here in the ATX — what is going on, Mothah Nature?

OK, this is winter. Going to be 52F today and sunny but still, 33F on a Sunday morning? Don’t panic, Big Red Car, you can do this. Bit of brie with that whine?

So, The Boss is on a rant with a couple of CEOs who are talking up “team building.” Boring! Boring! [Big Red Car, shut up, please. Sorry.]

So what’s all the chatter about? Let me mansplain it to y’all, may I? Mothah Nature, may I? Continue reading →