![]() It takes a lot of courage in the face of prominent risk and opportunities, and it requires a trusted and close relationship with the Board Chair.ĥ. Luckily, I work with very dedicated people who help me make the right choices for the organization, our people and our clients. Taking the lead as CEO also means taking tough decisions every day and saying more “no” than “yes”, to a lot of people. ![]() We also decided to launch a journey of transformation focused on Culture, Leadership, Innovation and Customers, and we started an Implementation Roadmap based upon a portfolio of critical change projects like new product development planning, improving sales and marketing effectiveness, keeping track of cash planning and optimizing working capital, and applying a multi-channel go2market strategy.Ĥ. After 6 months and some people change resistance issues to deal with, we installed a new organizational structure and operating model, fixing span of control issues and endorsing new individuals, from both within and outside the company, to take on new responsibilities, and in some cases even new roles. At the end of the first quarter we were able to agree a new vision and strategy with the Board of Directors and the family shareholders, and through this process I came to know and respect them deeply. Interaction with the Board of Directors serving as a sounding board. Last month marked one year since I became CEO, the very first external CEO of a family holding company, after a 3-month leadership transition with the former CEO who was the son of the founder of the company and who was in charge for the past 35 years. Looking back, I’m very glad that we both took the transition process serious since it also influenced the people that were used to work with my predecessor and because I found it key to rapidly connect with my direct reports, build trust with my management team, and have client-facing encounters.ģ. Communication drives alignment, and alignment drives team effectiveness, which in our organization is vital especially because we are an industrial incumbent doing business in the furniture sector which is in full transformation, and hence we are faced with quickly changing customer preferences and competition from new entrants with disruptive business models.Ģ. This lesson didn’t took me long to realize because as CEO you can never stop communicating to make sure that everyone understands and connects to your vision, strategy and implementation plan. Plenty of surprises and no downtime for the CEO. Hereafter are some of the most important lessons I experienced in my first year as CEO.ġ. But time is a precious resource and so you need to narrow your focus to succeed, since the more you try to achieve the less you will actually accomplish, I quickly learned.Ī smooth sea never made a skillful sailor Being CEO means definitely never having a boring day! Every day you need to expect the unexpected (especially on a Monday, don’t ask me why), do a thousand things, take difficult decisions and set priorities, also for others.
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