LEADERSHIP is not for the faint of heart, and Geary Reid’s CEO in Action fearlessly tackles some of the most pressing concerns CEOs and leaders face. As a strategic leader, you don’t simply start a company. You plan, gather information, and map out the necessary steps. As your company grows, you remain vigilant. You know you need to stay in touch with all aspects of the business. You learn to value your employees and treat them well, motivating them to become invested in the project. Navigating and maintaining it all can be difficult, but Geary Reid is here to help. From boardroom meetings to managing employees, Reid is thorough in his examination of what is needed to lead an organisation effectively. He knows you want your organisation to succeed, and this book will help you get there. With well-reasoned, well-researched approaches, this book offers compact, compelling advice you don’t want to miss.
1. A Leader is Needed
Every organisation’s aim is to succeed. Success does not happen overnight.
Some successes may result from natural events, and others may result from the inputs of individuals in a process. In this chapter, you will learn that there is a great need for a person who can lead the organisation, thus contributing to its success.
Human beings demonstrate unique leadership abilities. They can make deep analytical decisions that affect processes across the universe through intuition rather than knowledge. There is a constant push for artificial intelligence (AI), but people can sometimes make decisions that are not based on all the prevailing factors, instead on a deeper feeling that may not be easily available to others or to machines.
However, it must be remembered that some decisions must be made on facts, some on emotions, and others on a mixture of both.
It is often difficult to manage a business without any idea of that business. Intelligence is always good, but a leader has to know the specifics of an enterprise. Some businesses cannot be understood overnight, but require the leader to spend significant time on them and to have a proper understanding of their inner workings.
The leader who is willing to spend time understanding their business may be able to have many successes.
It will always be difficult to play lawn tennis on a basketball court. This sometimes happens to leaders as they try to deploy their skills in an area that requires a different approach. Some leaders spend much time exerting energy in areas where they do not need to use any at all.
A leader must have some understanding of their business and where their skills need to be used.
Sometimes, an organisation is very complex, and it may take some leaders a very long time to understand it. On the other hand, some leaders are skilled and will find ways to learn about the organisation that may enable them to make a positive impact within a very short time. People’s involvement in the organisation’s success is always important. The leader must be able to steer the ship in the right direction by making careful decisions based on their knowledge of the business. Not all the information provided in the media may be correct. Therefore, leaders must be very mindful of what is being read and listened to, since those decisions must also be based on facts.
A leader’s ear must be carefully trained to hear information and decide what is applicable and what can be quickly disposed of. Some leaders believe that all information they hear must be acted upon. That is not a correct approach and may harm those who like to act without verifying the information.
Knowing some or many parts of the business is an essential asset for each leader who has been entrusted with the authority of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In some locations and types of organisations, the functions of the CEO may be allocated to persons designated as managing directors (MDs), general managers (GMs), managers, administrators, coordinators, team leaders, etc.
2. Operation and Administration
Many times, the CEO has to manage operations carefully. This area of the organisation often sounds simple to some people, but depending on the type of organisation, it can be challenging. Some organisations may rarely have operational activities; others have numerous operational and administrative activities.
Managing resources as a CEO may not always be easy. Some resources are readily available and therefore easy to use. For example, if an organisation has access to vehicles to transport its products to customers, it may be able to meet those customers’ needs regularly. In this case, customers may not have many complaints about late delivery, so the CEO may not face many operational challenges. Most CEOs will be happy to have most of the resources necessary to perform their jobs quickly.
Some resources are scarce and must be managed carefully. A CEO must be aware of this. The use of such resources may need to be prioritised.
While the CEO may not be directly involved in resource use, they must set the tone for that use. When junior employees see that senior employees use resources carefully, they may follow suit.
Most organisations have finite resources. Therefore, careful use of them is very important.
It may be the CEO’s duty to assemble an emergency team to address operational issues. In such a situation, choosing the right people to form the team can be a great challenge. The CEO must ensure representation from across the organisation’s departments. Many people may have ideas, but their ideas may or may not support the organisation’s success at this point. When putting together the team, a leader will choose people who can participate in meaningful discussions within the group. It is also expected that less time will be spent disagreeing and more time will be spent on finding common ground. It is not expected that everyone in the group will agree on every point, but it is also not expected that everyone will disagree in every area.
Some of the final decisions that have to be made will depend heavily upon the CEO’s input and approval. Many CEOs will be happiest operating in an environment where conditions are normal and there is less need to make decisions in situations where they may have reservations. But the work of a CEO is never about perfect conditions; it is about making decisions, sometimes when no one else will.
For more information about Geary Reid and his books, please use the following contact information:
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