: Ed Jenks
: CEO Point Blank Straight Talk for CEOs, Business Owners, and Entrepreneurs
: Indie Books International
: 9781941870051
: 1
: CHF 8.40
:
: Management
: English
: 195
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
Being a chief executive is like no other life experience; it's a thrill no drug or activity can replace and you either love it or don't want anything to do with it. According to Ed Jenks, CEOs are not mysterious creatures. Most have souls, and contrary to the general opinion of most people, the majority really do want the best for their organizations, the folks that work there, and the shareholders that believe in them. This book is both case study and cautionary tale, written for a specific community: those who envision themselves sitting in the top organizational chair. If you are tentative and unsure if the top is the right place for you, please understand that it is not the intention of this book to scare you away, but rather to inform and advise you of some of the challenges you may encounter.

CHAPTER 2

You are Hired to be Fired

I’ve been fired a few times, as you can probably imagine. It’s rarely fun and there is always some drama around the event. But rest assured, you do come out on the other side about 99 percent whole. My biggest issue with getting fired was actually not about the end, but the beginning: I was always hot to get going and since I loved challenges and turnarounds, I was so eager to get into the action that I was taken advantage of.

I’m not looking for any sympathy. It was always my own fault, and due to my own stupidity as it happened more than once. I would sign anything to get going and in many cases, boards do not have great counsel who really want to take the time to work through any issues you might have. They typically will delay an agreement or they wander around for a bit and then present you with the same agreement your predecessor signed, which may not necessarily suit your needs.

CEOs, like football coaches, don’t retire. They always get fired. That may be an overstatement and I will get a bunch of hate mail from those characters that have been a CEO at the same place for a hundred years or something. So I will qualify it a bit. For those of us unafraid to lead change in aging institutions, who must grapple with people in key positions who have tenure all their own, and are willing to take on the challenge of financial deficits and uncooperative teams, know this: in the end, we go out as we came in. We get fired. Everyone loves us on the way in because we’re going to fix things up and make their future more secure. But once you do that, and in the process begin to demand productivity and accountability, you’re just a pain in the ass to people and they are not afraid to speak up about it.

First piece of advice. Wait. No matter how anxious you are to jump in and get started, wait until you’re operating under a contract that protects your interests now and in the future. The first point you compromise on is the one they will nail you on every time. I’ve seen really senior guys get nailed on a simple expense account issue. Remember, Al Capone didn’t get hit for the countless number of heinous crimes he committed; he got nailed for tax evasion.

So what do you look for? How do you know what you need? There are many things to consider and I strongly suggest you get yourself a great human resources attorney to help you. You want someone who works on the other side of the corporate line—the kind of attorney who, in other circumstances, might be asking you some tough questions. This doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg if you’re prepared when you walk into his or her office.

By the way, in these kinds of situations, I far prefer and re