Making Yourself a CEO

#1

Post by FilterJoe » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 4:08 PM UTC

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#2

Post by kevinw » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 5:08 PM UTC

While the "shit sandwich" tactic mentioned in this article is definitely a negative experience, I feel that in some cases it's better than coming out of the corner throwing full punches. If nothing else, it implies that one is at least trying to follow the broad advice in this article and avoid making issues into ad hominem attacks, even if the actual method used is flawed. Great article overall.

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#3

Post by kruken » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 5:09 PM UTC

Sage advice not just for CEOs but for anyone leading a team. Direct, constructive feedback is a great way to encourage open communication. Give early, give often.

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#4

Post by ironchef » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 5:26 PM UTC

Related to the shit sandwich, one other thing I always liked @ ldcl/opsw was making sure there was constructive criticism during the performance reviews. While it was great that reviews were 90+% "You're awesome and I want to bear your children", having something to work on presented during those times always stuck with me. It definitely helped me develop (for example) way better time management skills (a weakness when i started there).

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#5

Post by Grovara123 » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 5:28 PM UTC

Well done Ben - I'd also add that CEO's are really good listeners. Conversations should always be 60/40 the majority being with the opposite party of the CEO.

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#6

Post by pnachbaur » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 5:30 PM UTC

Really valuable article. As a junior employee I find I'm treading a fine line trying to practice these values, especially when the 'culture' isn't always trickling down. I'd enjoy reading more about this stuff from that perspective, which I suppose falls into the category of 'managing your manager'?

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#7

Post by rweba » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 5:40 PM UTC

I liked his last sentence "This is how you get made" as it seems to simultaneously allude to the concept of "Made Men" in the American Mafia and to Horowitz's penchant for putting quotes from gangsta rap in his blog posts :-)

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#8

Post by tvladeck » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 5:47 PM UTC

BH really loves that boxing reference.

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#9

Post by mratzloff » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 6:06 PM UTC

This reminds me of the first time I fired someone. I spent probably a week mentally planning how to do it--thought about how the conversation would go in the car, in the shower, before I went to sleep. The guy had a wife and kids and I was getting ready to put him in the unemployment line. I felt especially guilty because he shouldn't have been hired in the first place; we were desperate at the time. That was a mistake I made against my better judgment.

When it came time to actually have the conversation at one point he stopped me (I was busy trying to soften the blow) and said, "This sucks, but I get it. I understand." And I realized that I had prepared him for that point for months and that what was coming wasn't ultimately that much of a surprise.

Since then I've resolved to just be straight with feedback. For most firing situations, it's simply because it's not a good fit. Being able to look forward to a better situation in a couple months is enough to make most people accept the decision.

Re: Making Yourself a CEO

#10

Post by 001sky » Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 6:17 PM UTC

pnachbaur wrote: post #6

Really valuable article. As a junior employee I find I'm treading a fine line trying to practice these values, especially when the 'culture' isn't always trickling down. I'd enjoy reading more about this stuff from that perspective, which I suppose falls into the category of 'managing your manager'?

Feedback is a dialogue, not a monologue

You may be the CEO and you may be telling somebody about something that you don’t like or disagree with, but that doesn’t mean that you’re right. Your employee should know more about her function than you. She should have more data than you. You may be wrong.

-- This is a process