Posted by Bob Barker on February 1, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Today is the second anniversary of 20/20 Outlook LLC. Helping visionary CEOs create breakout strategies is enjoyable beyond all expectation. Before the launch in February 2010, experienced consulting friends advised that it would take a year for people to remember what 20/20 Outlook is, then another year for the business to hit full stride. They were spot on.
Nine months into it in December, 2010, opportunities started arriving on their own. I remember getting a call from a California friend asking for help in opening up U.S. operations for a European company, then days later came a request to write an article for TexasCEO magazine. The juxtaposition of two unanticipated invitations was encouraging.
My goal remains to provide cycles to busy CEOs immersed in urgent issues so they can accomplish their important but non-urgent ones. While the original 20/20 Outlook process remains an essential weapon, the scope has evolved into the role of trusted advisor to CEOs, bringing clarity and direction to the dreams those CEOs have for their enterprises.
This post is written to thank the numerous friends who have given continual guidance over the past two years, including CEO clients and other long-time friends across multiple disciplines. You make it fun to learn new ways to think about and address the challenges CEO face. From an A- guy blessed with a multitude of A+ friends, thank you!
Posted by Bob Barker on January 24, 2012 · Leave a Comment
“Symphony…is the ability to put together the pieces. It is the capacity to synthesize rather than to analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.”
— Dan Pink in A Whole New Mind
Vistage CEO Rafael Pastor spoke this morning at a breakfast organized by TexasCEO magazine. He covered a range of topics near and dear to my heart (e.g., “what makes America great? its restlessness”), then reviewed the results of the most recent Vistage member survey, a reliable leading indicator of GDP and hiring trends (good news: CEO confidence is heading back toward the 2004 level).
Finally, he shared four traits of a good leader that combine to produce character:
- Confidence – uplifting and inspiring all constituencies to higher performance
- Curiosity – looking around and asking questions to learn new ways of thinking
- Courage – having determination to risk and innovate
- Collaboration – creating and learning from external relationships
How does an organization exhibit these traits? Consider TexasCEO as an example:
- Confidence – Driving the creation of the magazine was a desire to distribute information that helps CEOs grow their enterprises. TexasCEO founders were confident they could draw contributing authors from multiple industries to deliver value through lessons that cross domains.
- Curiosity – By continually meeting with CEOs and advisors from multiple industries to understand their expertise, publisher Pat Niekamp and staff provide a continual stream of challenging articles on business development, people matters, marketing, sales, leadership, finance, governance, professional development, and other topics that CEOs must track.
- Courage – Does it take courage in a down economy to start a combined print and online magazine? Of course, but that courage was based on a clear analysis: no statewide business publication existed in a business-friendly state.
- Collaboration – TexasCEO continues to build relationships with groups and individuals that share their passion for helping CEOs achieve their dreams. Like Vistage, they appreciate the power of collaboration to broaden our vision. Rafael Pastor said it best when he quoted Marshall Goldsmith: “What got you here won’t get you there.” Often we can learn what works from our peers.
Joel Trammell recently told me about becoming a CEO. “Many people think that the CEO job is just the next progression after being a senior executive in a business… the CEO job is actually a unique role that doesn’t really have much in common with the other executive roles in a business.” He then related how he quickly learned to reach out to other business leaders when he became a CEO.
Vistage and TexasCEO were founded on the common goal of sharing CEO knowledge and expertise to improve business performance. With that common focus, maybe a new partnership was born this morning.
Filed under CEO, partnerships, strategy, TexasCEO, Vistage · Tagged with 20/20 outlook, 2020outlook, bob barker, CEO, daniel pink, joel trammell, partnerships, pat niekamp, rafael pastor, texasceo, vistage, whole new mind
Posted by Bob Barker on October 31, 2011 · 2 Comments
The Elephant in the Room
Ever been in a conference room with multiple people where the dialog circles around without coming to closure? It eventually dawns on you that the one big issue blocking a decision isn’t being discussed. Then you realize why. Now hold that thought.
In Getting Naked, Patrick Lencioni says willing to be vulnerable is a virtue for those of us who advise CEOs and their teams. Calling out the elephant in the room is a prime example. He suggests sharing what your intuition tells you, even at the risk of being blazingly wrong. While you might experience occasional embarrassment, overcoming your fear enables you to provide far higher value over the course of your client engagement.
So, let’s pop back into that meeting where everyone is circling… the reason for lack of progress is obvious – it’s an issue that could humiliate someone or at least cause some discomfort, right? In this case, let’s say it’s a boss with an intimidating presence who has directly or indirectly made clear his or her desired outcome. Everyone else in the group knows the solution is impractical, yet they fear the CEO’s wrath or lowered respect if they point it out.
For a trusted adviser, this is a defining moment. We clearly have a moral obligation to do what’s in the best interest of our client, regardless of personal consequences. While it may be tempting to focus on staying in the CEO’s good graces, being willing and able to directly address the issue openly while maintaining and even growing rapport requires business acumen and emotional intelligence that distinguishes advisers from consultants.
Posted by Bob Barker on May 2, 2011 · 1 Comment
How often do you get to sit in on a conversation with a room full of CEOs? That’s exactly what I did recently when I moderated a CEO Roundtable for TexasCEO and Somerset Consulting Group at the Hotel ZaZa in Dallas (great venue).
We brought together seven executives who run significant businesses in varied industries: communications, commercial construction, manufacturing, chemicals, health and fitness, franchising, and financial services. Each is a recognized leader in their respective industry, and each contributed a unique perspective on the topic of the day: how does company culture affect employee performance?
Everyone naturally agreed that an organization’s culture is a key determinant of its performance. It’s also clear that a CEO’s actions and performance are major factors in creating and preserving that culture. So, what is it that determines who is a CEO?
Having accumulated a number of accomplished CEO friends over the years, I’ve concluded it’s not something that can be taught – CEO’s are a breed unto themselves. You can gain more knowledge by taking B school classes and by reading about others’ experiences in being a CEO (shameless self-promotion), but the basic attributes that drive a classic CEO start showing up early in life:
- the need to succeed in a unique way,
- the willingness to do whatever it takes,
- a desire to have a hand in deciding what’s going on around them,
- and the courage to take responsibility for failure.
The reality of being a CEO is that it requires the level of focus, dedication, and sacrifice that most people aren’t equipped to make. If you disagree, please state your case!
[For more, check out the article about the Dallas CEO Roundtable in the May/June issue of TexasCEO magazine.]
Posted by Bob Barker on January 24, 2011 · 1 Comment
A few nights ago, I attended an event honoring the subject of TexasCEO magazine’s current cover story, Clayton Christopher. I met some other amazing people there and have been thinking since about the experience since then.
(Full disclosure: I have an article the print edition that will also be posted on the TexasCEO web site soon.)
The manner in which our country was born resulted in a population that loves being free to follow their dreams, and for 200+ years, millions of other dreamers have immigrated here. Over a 30-year career in high tech, I traveled the United States meeting wonderful people everywhere I went. Living recently in the Detroit area for several years is a prime example where, despite its exaggeratedly negative reputation, I found incredibly intelligent and highly motivated people building new companies and pursuing their careers with great passion.
If you’re a native Texan or an adoptee of this state, though, you can’t escape what a distinctive place it is. You’re deeply aware of the unique loyalty of its residents and the power of its brand. The shape of the state and its flag are recognizable by people living all over the globe. Many people who grew up in and live in other states have affection for those places, yet nowhere else do you find people who so deeply identify with the state they live in. Why is this true?
When I lived in Dallas during the 90′s, I made a good friend who’d grown up in New York City. By fifteen years into his career, he and his wife had lived in six cities in vastly different regions of the country. When I asked how they came to reside in Dallas, he said they had made a very deliberate decision to move there.
The couple had lived in Texas once before. It was during the 1980′s immediately after a huge downturn in the state’s then-dominant energy industry. The memory of how Texans responded to the economic crisis had stuck with them ever since. Instead of the complaints and despair they might have expected, the universal attitude was optimism. The general attitude was “OK, what can we do now?” and people started planning a new business or a new career. When they started their family, they made a conscious decision to move back to Dallas because they wanted to rear their children among people with a can-do, optimistic outlook on life.
Another anecdote: a CEO friend relocated his company to Austin from Silicon Valley in early 2009 to take advantage of the large pool of available technical talent and the friendly business climate. While those reasons prompted him to move, what also keeps him here is the love of the state’s optimistic attitude which he mentions often.
Targeted at the state’s business leaders, TexasCEO magazine published its first issue in May 2010. Its articles continually reflect that Texas optimism. The current January/February edition focuses on bootstrapping a business. It’s full of stories about people in different industries and different parts of the state who have successfully created new companies.
So what it is it about Texas? What I’ve encountered upon returning after living out of state several years are people who recognize obstacles yet choose to believe they can overcome them with creativity and hard work. Having grown up around people like that is something I truly appreciate.
So for Texas friends, am I way off base? What is it that you like the most about the state?
For non-Texas friends, does this resonate with you, or are all of us Texans just weird?
