CEO Success Report -
August 2003
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CEO Success Report
- August 2003
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Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs
and business owners.
Contents of this issue...
.. Welcome - A few words from the publisher, Gary Lockwood
.. Thought-Starter - "Old Dogs and New Tricks"
.. Guest article - "The Perfect CEO"
.. CEO Resources
.. Quotes to use in your staff meeting this month
.. Humor to lighten up the executive suite
.. Contact the publisher
.. Subscribe and unsubscribe instructions
See past issues of the CEO Success Report at:
http://www.CEOSuccess.com/archives
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WELCOME to this issue of the CEO Success Report!
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Hello again. I'm Gary Lockwood, President of CEO Success.
Welcome back once again to the CEO Success. I know you have
no shortage of material to read and I thank you for choosing to
read our newsletter.
We work hard to provide practical ideas, thought-provoking concepts
and useful information for you.
You (and over 1000 of your CEO peers), have honored me by
being a loyal subscriber. For that, I appreciate you.
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
How many times have you heard this old saying as an excuse
for not trying something new or to avoid a fresh approach?
My "thought-starter" in today's issue is about how to make
personal and professional growth a lifelong habit. You will not
become an old dog as long as you keep learning new tricks.
May I ask a small favor? Please forward this issue to other CEOs
and company presidents who may be interested in receiving
these messages. Thank you.
And now for our guest article this month.
Given today's economic climate, companies are in search of leaders
who can steer their organization through challenging times. But what
are they looking for specifically?
Our guest author this month, Ellen Stuhlmann, tells you what companies
are looking for and how you can prepare for the job.
I hope you enjoy receiving these articles and ideas to
help you sharpen your thinking about being an effective CEO.
My wish is that you use the ideas in the CEO Success Report to
get the results you really want. If you want some help in putting
them into practice, or if you have questions, email or call.
As you know, our specialty is Increasing the Effectiveness
and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business owners.
Enjoy this issue with my compliments.
Sincerely,
Gary Lockwood
CEO Success
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This month's THOUGHT-STARTER
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Old
Dogs and New Tricks
by Gary Lockwood
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
How many times have you heard this old saying as an excuse
for not trying something new or avoiding a fresh approach?
The expert animal trainers say that a dog of almost any age can
learn new tricks. It's the human animal that makes choices
regarding when and how much to learn.
The world passes us by as we stand still. Complacency, in our
fast-paced competitive world, can be fatal to business and severely
limit personal and professional growth.
Having a positive attitude toward learning and changing may be
one of the most important characteristics of successful people.
The competitive advantage of the future is your adaptability to
learning and change.
"There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far
less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."
- John F
Kennedy
How do you learn new tricks and <-- e x p a n d --> your personal
comfort zone?
Before you just throw all caution to the wind, try simple things.
** Drive home a different route.
** Shop at a different grocery store.
** Order something from the menu you've
never tried before.
** Sleep on the other side of the bed.
Make a conscious effort to experiment.
Why would you want to give yourself the stress of stepping
outside your comfort zone?
Because that's where growth takes place.
Just like a muscle gets stronger when you exercise it outside its
normal range of use, you get stronger when you get out of your
rut. And just like your muscles, once you stretch beyond your
current capabilities, you don't ever go back to your original
dimensions.
What's the limit?
Obviously, you need to be realistic in your risk management. Most
successful people think through the possible outcomes of taking
a risk. Then they prepare for how they would deal with each
potential outcome. Successful people take risks, but they are not
foolhardy or stupid.
Here's my challenge to you.
Make a list of 50 things that, if you really were successful in
doing them, you would be a better person or a better company.
Consider a few new tricks such as:
Give a speech
Write and publish an article
Start an exercise program
Meditate daily
Teach a class
Feed a homeless person
Climb a mountain
Learn to play a new musical instrument
Then choose one or two that you are willing to do within the next
90 days. Schedule those new activities, then go for it. Afterward,
choose one or two more and do it again.
Make personal and professional growth a lifelong habit. You will
not become an old dog as long as you keep learning new tricks.
About the Author...
Gary Lockwood is Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the
Lives of CEOs, business owners and professionals.
Email: mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
Web: http://www.CEOSuccess.com
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Guest Article
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The Perfect CEO: What Companies Look for in Their Next Leader
by Ellen Stuhlmann
Given today's economic climate, companies are in search of leaders
who can steer their organization through challenging times. But what
are they looking for specifically? To get some insight, we put that
question to two experts: Beverly Lieberman, president of Halbrecht
Lieberman Associates, a Stamford, Conn.- based executive placement
firm that specializes in information technology; and Don Andersson,
founder and president of the Andersson Group and author of the book
Hire for Fit, which examines how companies can find the best
executive for their organization. Here are the attributes they say
companies want.
Agents of change with a global perspective
As companies seek to compete in a global market, they're increasingly
in search of executives who are tuned in to more than just their own
industry. They want executives who keep tabs on the economy in
general and global events that may affect their business, says
Lieberman. "So they need someone with a global perspective, not an
insular, single-industry person, but someone with experience from
multiple industries who knows how things work and has resources in a
host of areas," she says.
A global perspective is only one piece of the puzzle, however.
Companies also want leaders who are willing and able to bring about
change. "They're really looking for out of the box thinking,
especially in growth industries," says Lieberman. "They want people
who have embraced change in the past and have a track record of
selling their ideas." For many, a certain element of risk taking is a
sought-after attribute, she says.
Although not all companies do it effectively, what they should do
when hiring a new executive is to assess how prepared the executive
is to bring about change, says Andersson. "They are certainly not
being brought in to maintain the status quo," he says of the new
leader. And while nearly every executive has experienced change,
"that doesn't mean they've had the opportunity in their professional
development to learn how to be an agent of change." The skill set
required to effect positive change is very distinct. "Without those
skills, instead of using the finesse of a surgeon's scalpel to bring
about change, they use a meat cleaver, leaving everything around the
change bloody and bruised," Andersson says.
Raising questions without raising defenses
Hand in hand with the ability to effect change is the ability to
recognize and respect other peoples' different approaches to problem
solving.
"It is a skill that is really in real demand, although rarely
articulated," says Andersson. And it often comes down to the words we
choose to use when talking to others. Instead of dismissing another
person's idea as unworkable, for example, saying "help me understand
how that fits," or "help me see what is it you see that I may be
missing" can open up new insights. At the very least, it will force
the speaker to rethink and better articulate his or her arguments.
"That ability to raise questions is very important," says Andersson,
but it must be carefully done. "If we really want to be creative, we
recognize that if we can define the result that we are trying to
achieve and then free people to find different ways to reach that
result, we can maximize the benefits and minimize the downside," he
explains. The result: more effective problem solving and
decision-making.
Team builders and leaders
Teambuilding is one of those skills that is endlessly touted but hard
to define - and often hard to find. But what were once seen as soft,
less-important skills are now better understood by cutting edge
companies as critical attributes, says Andersson. At the highest
levels and throughout the organization, "what they are looking for
are people who can work with others and can use their experiences and
differences to make more quality decisions."
Lieberman agrees. "I'm always being asked to find executives who are
good managers who can build and motivate teams; who can help their
staff build their careers," she says. "Someone who is tuned in to his
or her organization and not just focused on the business or the
project, but really is a nurturing care-taking executive."
Better still if the executive has a loyal following he or she can
bring to the new organization, adds Lieberman. "It is too hard to
find good people, so they want someone who can bring in a new person
or two who can support [the executive]," she says.
Multicultural and diverse candidates
The global nature of business has ratcheted up the need for
executives with multi-cultural sensitivity. "I'm often looking for
someone who has worked abroad, speaks several languages and is
willing to relocate," says Lieberman. Even if the position has no
immediate call for relocation, the willingness to be flexible is a
positive attribute she says. "It's really hard to find because today
the group of people that are being sought are men and women in their
30s, 40s and 50s, so they are people who usually have families and
they may have a trailing spouse who has a career as well," she says.
In addition, Lieberman says she increasingly gets requests to find
female executives. "And if possible I'm being asked to find
minorities within the female ranks." The reason: companies are far
more tuned in to their customer base today. "Companies want to get
close to their customers and, guess what, their customers fit more
than one profile," she says.
Physical and mental fitness
It may not be something employers can ask about outright, but they do
have interest in the physical and mental health of executives they
are considering hiring. In a society with an ever growing awareness
of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and given the level of
stress executives are expected to manage " it goes without saying
that we try to find people that can really rise to the occasion, and
that often means that I'm looking for executives who take care of
themselves physically and psychologically," says Lieberman. She often
tries to gauge what kind of stress executive candidates have in their
current jobs and how they deal with it. "Frankly, every company that
hires a top executive is saying 'we want somebody who can work 24-7."
Looks, acts, walks and talks like an executive
It may not be fair, but talent and intelligence simply aren't enough
in today's competitive world. "Packaging is important," says
Lieberman. "That has to do with your physical appearance -- wearing
clothes that make you look your best, knowing what colors make you
look your best, having an 'executive' bearing - all these things go
into how you are viewed, in addition to your brain and experience and
track record," she says.
Despite often being on the other side of the desk as an interviewer,
many executives find themselves nervous and ineffective when they are
the interviewees. "Coaching and practice and working with a good
recruiter or professional coach can be extremely valuable," says
Lieberman, who also encourages coaching for executives uncomfortable
with public speaking.
Andersson agrees. "I see executive after executive saying 'I can
learn all I need to learn just by going through the process and
thinking about it a little bit,'" he says. "But they need to know
what they need to have developed before they can actually do it.
Coaches can help with that."
About the Author:
Ellen Stuhlmann is Managing Director of ExecuNet. ExecuNet is
recognized as the Internet's most comprehensive resource for
effective career management, exclusively for executives and
senior-level managers with salaries above $100,000. Founded in 1988
and online since 1995, ExecuNet is the nation's first and most
respected online executive career site. ExecuNet is a community of
senior level executives, and has served more than 50,000 executives
and 5,000 companies and executive recruiters by posting more than
30,000 executive positions annually.
Reproduced with permission of ExecuNet. http://www.execunet.com/
=============================================
RESOURCES for CEOs
=============================================
The Executive Committee - Chief Executives Working Together
http://www.CEOSuccess.com
** Attention CEOs
Business leaders are choosing a new way to better their companies and
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Imagine the benefits of meeting regularly with a small group
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Thousands of chief executives turn to TEC for a learning experience they
cannot get anywhere else. We are committed to connecting CEOs with the
people, ideas and information they need to help them improve their
businesses and enhance their lives.
Check it out at http://www.CEOSuccess.com
==================================================
QUOTES to use in your staff meeting this month
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"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind."
Sir Winston Churchill
"When all men think alike, no one thinks very much."
Walter Lippmann
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.
General George Patton
I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I
have of it.
Thomas Jefferson
Adversity cause some men to break; others to break records.
William A. Ward
"These greens are so fast I have to hold my putter over the ball and hit
it with the shadow."
Sam Snead
Golf is a good walk spoiled.
Mark Twain
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HUMOR to lighten up
the executive suite
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Easy Quiz Questions
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1. What is 5 divided by 1/2 plus 3?
2. I have two coins making 55 cents but one is not a nickel.
How can that be?
3. Why are 1977 dollars worth more than 1976 dollars?
4. What word in the English language does nearly everyone pronounce
incorrectly?
5. In the United States is it legal for a man to marry his widow's
sister?
6. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three
feet
by four feet?
7. Some months have 30 days, some months have 31 days; how many
have 28?
8. Which is correct - eight and eight IS fifteen or eight and eight ARE
fifteen?
9. A 10 foot rope ladder hangs over the side of a boat with the bottom
rung at the surface of the water. There is one foot
between rungs
and the tide goes up at the rate of 6 inches per hour.
How long
until
three rungs are covered?
10. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have six daughters and each daughter has one
brother. How many people in the family?
Easy Quiz Answers
------------------
Well, it's supposed to be fun, not work!
1. 13. 5 divided by .5 = 10 + 3 = 13
2. Only one is not a nickel, because it is a 50 cent piece.
The other is a nickel.
3. Because $1977.00 is more than $1976.00.
4. The word 'incorrectly'.
5. No. If he has a widow, then the man is dead and cannot marry
anyone.
6. There is no dirt in a hole.
7. All the months.
8. Neither. Eight and eight equals SIXTEEN.
9. The rungs will never be covered because the boat rises with the tide
10. 9 family members total. 6 daughters, 1 brother, Mr. Smith and
Mrs.
Smith
***excerpts from: http://www.joker.org/ ***
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CONTACT CEO Success
=================================
Gary Lockwood is the publisher of the CEO Success Report.
Email: mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) * (909) 739-7444
Fax: (909) 494-4314
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Your Comments, please?
========================================
I appreciate feedback, corrections, and comments about the
CEO Success Report. Please send your thoughts to:
Gary@CEOSuccess.com mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
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