The CEO Test: Master the Challenges That Make or Break All Leaders By Adam Bryant, Kevin Sharer
[ You tube Review of the book : The CEO Test: Master the Challenges That Make or Break All Leaders by Adam Bryant ]
What are the Dilemmas of the first time managers
How Demanding should you be ?
When do you let go ?
When do you step-in to do the work ?
How do you provide the direct feedback without being too critical ?
How do you strike the balance of being friendly without trying to be just one of the gang ?
What are the right moments to show vulnerability ?
Is it always better to put up front a never-let-them-see-you-sweat confidence ?
So, These are the problems faced by a new manager who leads the front line employees who directly design, create , update a company’s products.
If you are at a senior position then you face different problems. Now you are leading leaders. There are layers of managers below you who all have to be aligned around shared goals. you have to build and manage new networks of relationships across the organization. you are expected to deliver at a consistently high level. the sheer volume of meetings, emails, and cross — department project deadlines become a test of endurance.
A CEO has a different set of challenges. This book shares stories, insights and lessons from dozens of chief executives. It also talks about challenges, paradoxes that are foundational to effective leadership.The book talks about seven tests that each CEO goes through and that will define and refine his leadership. So, What are The Tests that the book is talking about ?
Test #1 Can you develop a simple plan for your strategy ?
Can you bring a simple plan, with the help of your team, to solve a complex problem ? A plan that your employees can hold in their head. Creating a simple plan is like setting the trajectory of a rocket launch. If you are a few degrees off, over time you will miss your mark by a long shot.
What should you do to build a simple plan ?
— Focus on outcome rather than priorities. Outcomes should be measurable.
— Edit your vision Ruthlessly. Can you create a vision that the front line employee can understand and implement it in his daily work ?
— As your audience gets bigger and bigger, your message must get simpler and simpler.
— Communicate : There is no such thing as overcommunication. All Hands, email blasts , web casts. All these approaches are necessary to fight the collective short attention span in organizations.
Build the habit inside your company of simplifying complexity and designing a simple plan to ensure everyone is aligned around a clear goal and have the levers to achieve it, identify the challenges that stay in your way and a scoreboard for measuring progress.
Test #2 — Can you make the culture real — and matter as well
In Any Organization, Culture is almost like religion. Defining, Modeling, Enforcing and Assessing a company culture is the responsibility of a CEO and senior leaders. Without a strong, positive culture, you stand to drive employees away and miss out on the best talent. Team engagement and productivity are other casualties.
Test #3 — Can you build a team that are true teams ?
Can you define the Purpose of the team ?
Who should be on your team ?
How will the team work together ?
What is the leader’s role on the team ?
You need to answer all these questions.
Test #4 Can you lead transformation ?
The status quo is enormously powerful, and the enemy of the change. How will you lead the transformations you need to think about it .
Test #5 Can you really Listen ?
Can you sense the danger signals ? Danger signals can be faint, and remember bad news travels slowly. So be careful.
Test #6 Can you handle a crisis ?
Test #7 Can you master the inner game of Leadership ?
All other previous tests focus on what an effective leader must do but this test focuses on what an effective leader must be.
First find who you are and then Find the balance between being yourself , compassionate and holding people accountable.
The field of leadership is full of contradictions. If you ask for advice, one will say “Lead from front” and another one will say “Lead from behind” , “ Never Let them see your sweat” to “ You should be vulnerable” , “Take you decisions fast” to “ have patience” . The key is to remember that one size doesn’t fit all.
If you have taken up the challenge of becoming an effective leader then be prepared for many long and steep learning curves that are discussed in this book like — Learning how to write and communicate a simple plan, Build culture and high performing teams , drive change, create systems for listening, and manage crisis. Authors say that these tests the critical reasons why leaders succeed or fail in their roles.
Though I am a front line manager and a confused one also :) . But after reading this book I realised I need to find out my own way to deal with the paradoxes that I face at work, This book makes it clear that in leadership there is no solution to a problem in balck and whilte everything is in grey shade and as a leader you need to be prepared to experiment with solutions and find the right combination for you and your team.
Remember, No One can succeed without a clear strategy, an effective leadership team, and a well defined culture.
I loved this book.
