Think Like a CEO

(This was sent to me by someone a couple of years ago. Find it pretty relevant; more so in today's scenario)

For those of you on the road to success, the term CEO is one that you will hear over and over again in the course of your career. The CEO of a company is the "Chief Executive Officer" and his job is to manage the executives at the company. The CEO is the big cheese; the buck stops with him.

CEOs are a very particular bunch. To become CEO means you have reached the top of the company, and your decisions -- even small ones -- will materially affect the company. CEOs usually have their act together more than the average guy (much more), and if you want to succeed in life, you should start thinking like the CEO way before you become one.

Plan for the future

In order to become a champion, you have to think like one. When Muhammed Ali beat George Foreman in their classic fight, "The Rumble in the Jungle", everyone thought that Ali would get murdered by Foreman. But Ali saw things differently; he thought like a champion, talked like a champion and was the true champion. He won by knockout in the 8th round in one of the greatest fights of all time.

The point is that you need to have the right attitude and frame of mind if you want to achieve CEO-like success. Basically, you need to think like a CEO from day one. Once you learn a job, it becomes fairly simple. Thus if you learn the job you aspire to, it will be much easier to get because it will have become more simple in your mind (and in practice).

CEO of your success

Most people will not become CEOs until much later in their careers, if at all. Furthermore, you don't need to become the CEO in order to be successful. However, you do need to think like a CEO in order to become someone powerful in this world.

At this point, you should be wondering: "How can I think and act like a CEO?" Keep reading and I'll tell you exactly which 10 crucial qualities you need in order to make it to the top and be the CEO of your own success.

ABC's of a good CEO

If you aspire to achieve success in your career, and then check out many of the qualities you will need to acquire in order to make it to the top.

10. Confidence
you have to be secure in your abilities and confident that you can carry out the task. Never let anyone make you feel inferior; they can only do so if you give them "permission" to.

9. Persistence
As former US President Calvin Coolidge once said: "Nothing can take the place of persistence." Not talent, not genius and not education. "Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." So don't quit easily.

8. Think (Bigger)
The higher you move up the ladder, the more complex the decisions. Thus, it only follows that you will have to think things through much more carefully and thoroughly, as each decision can potentially affect the whole organization in drastic ways.

7. Continuous Improvement
always strive to be better than you are today. Don't be afraid to take risks and make mistakes. Remember, failure is only a temporary setback on the road to success.

6. Details, Details & More Details
ultimately, every business comes down to details. If your strategy is solid but you botch the execution of the details of the plan, you'll end up in the doghouse. Pay attention to the details; small mistakes add up quickly.

5. Don't Be Afraid To Lead
Successful people are often leaders. Perhaps you're not the top guy (main leader) according to your job title, but if you're a leader in your field then you still have what it takes to become successful. You can be a great salesperson, so long as you excel at your job and take initiative. So pick up the torch when you see fit and make things happen.

4. Be Competitive
one of the basic tenets of capitalism is the competition that exists in a free market. You will either be the hunter or the prey. If you are not competitive, then you'll end up getting eaten for lunch. It's true and don't ever forget that this is the law of business.

3. Honesty Is the Best Policy
if you wanted to become a crook, you would've joined the mob. If you are in business, your reputation counts for a lot so be sure to be ethical in your dealings with your co-workers and clients. You have to set the example or you'll risk being the head henchman in a den of thieves.

2. Work With People
A big part of your success will consist of learning how to interact with others and how to manage human capital in order to make the most of the organization's resources. Make it a point to work on your people skills as much as possible because at the top, almost all your time will be spent dealing with people.

1. Be Positive
Be positive, infuse your personality and work with positive energy. This is catchy and will set the tone for your team. You'll get more done with a positive outlook rather than a negative one.

Now that you know what you need to make it to the top, stop procrastinating, get out there and make it happen!

Regards,

Anaggh

Turmoil & More ...............

The past 15 weeks have been one of great turmoil.

AND

The past 3 weeks a period, of the greatest personal turmoil in the last decade.

Serious business philosophy & ideological differences at DAMAS, the organization that I helped create in India ground up in the last 18 months – I was constrained to seek other pastures. Not being an owner in the financial sense, however it was a heart wrenching decision, more so since a sense of helplessness pervades the entire being. More so, due to the aftermath of the decision, that shall weigh heavy.

Whilst I can only bid them Good Bye & God Speed by September, 2007 the learning I carry with me, will no doubt serve me well, the angst will remain personal!

So what does one do when one is 45, jobless, numb & clueless about the direction one wishes to pursue?

It is at times such as these you recognize & separate the chaff from the wheat. The well wishers disappear; acquaintances are too busy to attend to your calls. With never a need of executive search in the past decade, you are not networked enough. With India Rocking, with economy, retail, hospitality, so on & so forth, I understand that everyone needs a mandate to hire someone.

Amongst the well wishers & friends, who described me as Ambitious; unpredictable; impressive; regal; wonder fool; enterprising; connected; alaagh; bongastic; dynamic; Resilient; I decided to take the last word to heart.

The first thing I did was to list my strengths and weaknesses. Looking back into history, the most productive period & happy days of my professional life have been when I conceptualize, a start up from scratch, meet new people, hire the best, make presentations, train, coach, mentor people, create organizations that have systems & processes and finally make me Redundant.

Once this decision was made, it became easier; to speak to the Head hunters who (Yes) have started calling slowly; also to other entrepreneurs; funds who are very keen at this moment to invest in me???

So, there is always a requirement of Good Men, and I shall be back soon!

Regards,

Anaggh

How to pay the Right Salary - Some thoughts

First Fix the Internal Compensation
Then make it externally competitive
(In the current scenario at times this may have to be interchanged)

If we increase salaries across organization arbitrarily, would we be able to reduce our attrition?
Can we build a robust team at minimal cost?
How should our salary structure be to attract the best talent in the market?
What is more important - Internal Pay Parity or external competitiveness?

INDIA,a job market driven by knowledge workers, fluctuating pay scales & high attrition, HR managers need to find these answers on an ongoing basis.

Developing/Revising a salary structure for an organization is extremely difficult & time consuming. The most complex is to find a compromise between 'Internal Parity' (paying people in proportion to the relative value of their job) & 'External Competitiveness' (paying people in proportion to the market price for the job), & at the same time ensure that the Salary is a source of motivating the individual employee.

Some points that may help:
Job Evaluation - Descriptions & profile to avoid ambiguity of expectations
Market Price - look at benchmarking similar jobs in the market across different industries.

More points & thoughts are welcome!

Regards,

Anaggh