Distilling the Wisdom of CEOs *
•Distilling the Wisdom of C.E.O’s,” Adam Bryant, The New York
Times, April 16, 2011.
Great CEOs Have
1.
Passionate curiosity
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They ask big questions
Students of human nature
Learn from everybody
Challenge orthodoxy
2.
Battle-hardened confidence
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Know how to deal with adversity with confidence
Best predictor of behavior is past performance – how
they dealt with failure (ask this question in an
interview)
Takes ownership of challenges
Work ethic forged in adversity
Internal locus of control – believe they can shape
events based on what they can control.
Team smarts
3.
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Understand how teams work and how to get most out
of teams
Understand reliability, not talent, is key.
Understand ad hoc teams and how organize around a
common goal
Understand what’s best for team, for organization,
not for themselves (unselfish)
4.
A simple mind set
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Are concise, get to the point, and make it simple -and expect others do the same.
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No lengthy PowerPoints
Know how to summarize, know what’s really
important --- the essence of a problem.
Simplify, eliminate complexity
Fearlessness
5.
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Comfortable being uncomfortable – no road map or
compass.
Constantly challenge the status quo with calculated
and informed risk taking.
If things aren’t broken, break them.
An appetite for change