Leadership Development News Roundup: Being the CEO Edition

Transitioning to role of CEO can be challenging for even the most experienced and performance-proven executives. An IESE Insights report on “The Factors Behind the Failure Rate of CEOs” explained that some studies show half of CEO failures occur in good business environments. For CEOs, it’s not always the economic environment that leads to failure, but often a lack of leadership competencies needed to operate at the head of an organization.In this week’s Leadership Development News Roundup, I’ve assembled a collection of articles and blog posts with information and advice for veteran, new and would-be CEOs.

• The Top 22 Mistakes of First-Time CEOs. VentureBeat: “Does not begin to build a culture of accountability in the organization on day one. Fails to keep their mouth closed and their ears and eyes open. Does not build understanding, trust, and credibility with key stakeholders in the first three months on the job. Over-promises and sets unrealistic expectations early in the game. Makes decisions for change before having the understanding and credibility of the market, business, and people….”

• Why CEOs Run The Modern Company With Blindfolds On. Forbes: “Why are the majority of these CEOs not able to understand how their business is performing in time to take action? I have an answer: Too many CEOs assume that the organization understands their strategy and how to execute on it, with no system to track anyone’s true progress. If employees don’t understand how their day-to-day activities contribute to the organization’s goals, then the disconnect results in silos of data and actions.”

• 6 Types of Toxic CEOs that are Destined for Failure. Switch & Shift: “Being the CEO means that your vision will guide your company, good or bad. There are CEOs who are visionaries, creating a very personal connection with the products they offer (like Steve Jobs); and there are CEOs whose brash leadership style clashes with other top executives in the company (like Steve Jobs.) The CEO bears the most responsibility for a company’s success or failure.”

• How Important is Industry Experience for A New CEO? Associations Now: “‘I think it’s always great for an organization to get a different perspective,’ said Donna Dunn, now a senior consultant at Tecker International. ‘In my experience, someone who isn’t actively involved may have an ability to see things that might not otherwise be seen by someone who has been raised in the industry’”

• Sharon Sloane of Will Interactive: See Yourself as Others See You. The New York Times: “I’ve learned that you’ve got to get ‘on the balcony’ -- you have to take yourself out of the situation and look at it as if you’re viewing other people playing your role. You have to be able to walk in someone else’s shoes and really empathize with them. But it’s also just as important to see yourself as others see you. If you can do that, it gives you a 360-degree view, and then you have more understanding. It doesn’t make a hard job easier, but it gives you a framework.”

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