If you start a business and have majority ownership you can always be CEO, but CEO's not for everyone. You can most definitely read books on leadership, charisma, networking, etc, and go act out the role for a while if you're motivated enough. However if you're really a private-type technical person at heart, amazingly once you can afford to hire someone else to do that job (without losing your majority status) you may suddenly find that you don't want it anymore. If that's the case it will probably be better for your company too. Some engineers make great CEO's of course.
Making Yourself a CEO
21–30 of 36 posts
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#22Are these real CEOs or idealized CEOs? I've worked for CEOs who were horrible people and yet extremely successful (ie: running profitable businesses and having repeat success). Sadly, the nice CEOs I've had were failures building companies. From my observation, the quality that defines a CEO is that they are oblivious to their own faults and the feelings of others. They are like bad dancers with confidence. They have…
The thought of a couple of chubby assholes in suits I've known over the years doing ballet badly is immensely pleasing.
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#23This 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 mista…
Your post reminded me of another one exactly like it (down to the last paragraph) on here about a year ago, except at the end the guy getting fired kills himself later that day, and the next day his wife calls you to let you know.
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#24I think the author meant "leader" when he wrote "CEO". CEO is a broader term that englobes many other aspects apart from leadership only.
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#25Are these real CEOs or idealized CEOs? I've worked for CEOs who were horrible people and yet extremely successful (ie: running profitable businesses and having repeat success). Sadly, the nice CEOs I've had were failures building companies. From my observation, the quality that defines a CEO is that they are oblivious to their own faults and the feelings of others. They are like bad dancers with confidence. They have…
>They have no idea they look like an idiot or that they're making you uncomfortable, and if they did, they wouldn't care.
Oh man, that'd mean I'd make a great CEO if I could learn to stop caring! All these years, trying to figure out how not to look awkward -- wasted!
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#26"More senior executives will recognize the shit sandwich immediately and it will have an instant negative effect."
Why would it have a negative effect? Even when you realize people are just being polite, most people still appreciate it, no?
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#27"More senior executives will recognize the shit sandwich immediately and it will have an instant negative effect." Why would it have a negative effect? Even when you realize people are just being polite, most people still appreciate it, no?
Senior employees want to take action, solve problems and get on with things. Sugar coating it is wasting both people's time essentially. At least that's my understanding from the context and my personal experience.
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#28"More senior executives will recognize the shit sandwich immediately and it will have an instant negative effect." Why would it have a negative effect? Even when you realize people are just being polite, most people still appreciate it, no?
The shit sandwich is a tool used because you feel the person isn't capable of handling direct criticism.
When using the shit sandwich on a senior report, you are implicitly stating that you don't believe they can handle direct criticism.
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#29[deleted]
Re: Making Yourself a CEO
#30The opening lyric is a little confusing. "She got a big booty so I call her Big Booty." CEO's aren't necessarily good leaders; that's not why they're the leader. CEO's are the founders. Find a better lyric, maybe? Right?