Comments on: Just what does a CEO do? http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2006/07/31/just-what-does-a-ceo-do/ Jeff Nolan's take on innovation, entrepreneurship, tech and stuff that interests me Thu, 17 May 2012 21:05:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Why I’m a Conference Whore « Rand's Blog http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2006/07/31/just-what-does-a-ceo-do/comment-page-1/#comment-342436 Why I’m a Conference Whore « Rand's Blog Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:57:57 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2006/07/31/just-what-does-a-ceo-do/#comment-342436 [...] certainly plausible that I’m wrong about what should be on that list, many others have their own opinions of what CEOs should do. And, there’s a long [...] [...] certainly plausible that I’m wrong about what should be on that list, many others have their own opinions of what CEOs should do. And, there’s a long [...]

]]> By: relentlessproductivity.com » Venture Chronicles: What does a CEO do? http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2006/07/31/just-what-does-a-ceo-do/comment-page-1/#comment-16738 relentlessproductivity.com » Venture Chronicles: What does a CEO do? Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:36:33 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2006/07/31/just-what-does-a-ceo-do/#comment-16738 [...] Venture Chronicles A CEO has 4 jobs: [...] [...] Venture Chronicles A CEO has 4 jobs: [...]

]]> By: fewquid http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2006/07/31/just-what-does-a-ceo-do/comment-page-1/#comment-13538 fewquid Mon, 31 Jul 2006 21:03:51 +0000 http://jeffnolan.com/wp/2006/07/31/just-what-does-a-ceo-do/#comment-13538 An excellent post. In my career to date, I've worked with several CEOs who consider themselves "communicators" and they were between awful and mediocre. I've only worked with one CEO that hit all four of your bullet points and he was by FAR the best CEO I have ever worked with. The gentleman in question came in to a messy situation and within a matter of weeks had (a) aligned the management team (points 1, 2, 3 and 4), gotten the bank off our back, (1 & 2) and got us thinking about how we moved forward rather than just continuing to tread water (1,2,3 & 4). His basic working assumption was that we were all competent but needed a clear playing field in which to do our "thing". Within a couple of years we went from close to bankruptcy to being acquired for $50+M. What's more, the CEO took almost no salary until (a) the company and its balance sheet were fixed and (b) staff were paid market rates and (c) the rest of the management team was properly compensated. But the comment that “I don’t understand how a C.E.O. would not blog if committed to open communication.” is pretty absurd -- think of the potential liabilities. A big company CEO blogging directly to the public?? No legal advisor is going to let a CEO put what they _really_ think in a blog, and shareholders wouldn't tolerate it either. So all they can write would be carefully screened PR or irrelevant personal grandstanding and pontificating. And who needs more of that? I do see tremendous value in an honest blog behind the firewall from the CEO to the employees. In a big company like Sun I think it would be very effective to have an open dialog between the CEO and the employees. At least you then have some idea (hopefully) that someone knows where the ship is sailing. But that raises the question: do you allow employees to post comments, and are there repurcussions if they disagree with the CEO? Personally I think it should be wide open without consequences, but I can't imagine a big company that would actually let that fly... An excellent post. In my career to date, I’ve worked with several CEOs who consider themselves “communicators” and they were between awful and mediocre. I’ve only worked with one CEO that hit all four of your bullet points and he was by FAR the best CEO I have ever worked with.

The gentleman in question came in to a messy situation and within a matter of weeks had (a) aligned the management team (points 1, 2, 3 and 4), gotten the bank off our back, (1 & 2) and got us thinking about how we moved forward rather than just continuing to tread water (1,2,3 & 4). His basic working assumption was that we were all competent but needed a clear playing field in which to do our “thing”. Within a couple of years we went from close to bankruptcy to being acquired for $50+M.

What’s more, the CEO took almost no salary until (a) the company and its balance sheet were fixed and (b) staff were paid market rates and (c) the rest of the management team was properly compensated.

But the comment that “I don’t understand how a C.E.O. would not blog if committed to open communication.” is pretty absurd — think of the potential liabilities. A big company CEO blogging directly to the public?? No legal advisor is going to let a CEO put what they _really_ think in a blog, and shareholders wouldn’t tolerate it either. So all they can write would be carefully screened PR or irrelevant personal grandstanding and pontificating. And who needs more of that?

I do see tremendous value in an honest blog behind the firewall from the CEO to the employees. In a big company like Sun I think it would be very effective to have an open dialog between the CEO and the employees. At least you then have some idea (hopefully) that someone knows where the ship is sailing. But that raises the question: do you allow employees to post comments, and are there repurcussions if they disagree with the CEO? Personally I think it should be wide open without consequences, but I can’t imagine a big company that would actually let that fly…

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