The Dangerous Book for CEOs

By Padraig Berry

There are no magic bullets in effectively running an organisation. There are approaches though, that if focused on consistently over time, do lead to a greater chance of success. This book is about those - the ones that a CEO has to be really good at to be 80% sure of success. Or, the ones that if you don't pay attention to them, are 80% sur

• Language: English
• Publisher: ONEFocus
• Release date: Oct 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463511473

Padraig Berry

With a life-long interest in human and business performance improvement, Padraig Berry has been working for over 25 years as a Business Coach and Strategist. He is CEO of One Focus Business Consultants and Master Distributor of TTI Success Insights Psychometric Assessments in Ireland. A high energy, clear and focused creative thinker with a direct and pragmatic style, Padraig has been actively involved in business for over 30 years, as CEO, and commercial roles in organisations across the globe. His passion is helping CEOs to get clear, get focused and get going, taking themselves and their organisations forward. He believes that culture eats strategy for breakfast; that a world-class team pursuing their passions with a clear economic driver and business model is unbeatable. Padraig holds a B.A from GMIT and an M.B.A. from ESSEC (Paris). Connect with Padraig Berry: Websites: www.thedangerousbookforceos.com www.onefocus.ie www.ttisii.com www.discassessment.ie www.deliberateceo.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/padraigberry LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/padraigberry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/padraig.berry.1

Book preview

Preface

There are no magic bullets in effectively running an organisation. There are approaches though, that if focused on consistently over time, do lead to a greater chance of success. This book is about those - the ones that a CEO has to be really good at to be 80% sure of success. Or, the ones that if you don't pay attention to them, are 80% sure to lead to failure.

This is a practical guide for CEOs in two parts, things to know and things to do, on how to build superior organisational performance through individual actions and behaviours, starting with you. It is about creating the conditions for people in your organisation to do the right things and prosper, by developing and aligning individual, team and organisational clarity, strategy and action. It is about building individual self awareness, so as to lead through character, not position. Identifying and building on strengths. Developing personal plans and success cycles. Identifying where you, your team and your organisation add real value. Inspiring your team and building organisational passion, vision and trust to produce extraordinary results from ordinary people. Creating the environment where everyone can do their best. Developing a back from the future strategy and plans that help the organisation identify and focus on what is important. Learning how to share the power and responsibility of leadership and building leadership capacity in your organisation through effective talent management, bench strength, accountability and the ability to face up to challenges and make tough decisions.

Author Profile

With a life-long interest in human and business performance improvement, Padraig Berry has been working for over 25 years as a Business Coach and Strategist. He is CEO of One Focus Business Consultants and Master Distributor of TTI Success Insights Psychometric Assessments in Ireland.

A high energy, clear and focused creative thinker with a direct and pragmatic style, Padraig has been actively involved in business for over 30 years, as CEO, and commercial roles in organisations across the globe. His passion is helping CEOs to get clear, get focused and get going, taking themselves and their organisations forward. He believes that culture eats strategy for breakfast; that a world-class team pursuing their passions with a clear economic driver and business model is unbeatable. Padraig holds a B.A from GMIT and an M.B.A. from ESSEC (Paris).

Connect with Padraig Berry:

Websites:

www.thedangerousbookforceos.com

www.onefocus.ie

www.ttisii.com

www.discassessment.ie

www.deliberateceo.com

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/padraigberry

LinkedIn:

https://ie.linkedin.com/in/padraigberry

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/padraig.berry.1

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2pjbhcbN_TlZbcsgB0CuUA

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ8i9GMTxg00bfL4qt8Vu7Q

Contents

PREFACE

AUTHOR PROFILE

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PART I. THINGS TO KNOW

CHAPTER ONE: IF IT IS TO BE

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

CHANGE YOUR REASONING

REFLECT ON YOUR RESULTS

CHANGE YOUR REALITY

BECOME ACCOUNTABLE

EXPAND YOUR AWARENESS

BECOME DANGEROUS

CHAPTER TWO: THE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG

BUILD ON YOUR STRENGTHS

DISCOVER YOUR IKIGAI

GET A SECOND OPINION

FIND A HORSE TO RIDE

CHAPTER THREE: LINE THEM UP!

BECOME THE FIRST DOMINO

BUILD YOUR SUCCESS CYCLE

BUILD YOUR VISION

COBBLE TOGETHER YOUR PLAN

LEVERAGE YOUR EFFORTS

CHAPTER FOUR: LET’S GO!

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR RESPONSES

REALISE YOUR SUCCESS

LEARN TO SAY NO

BUILD YOUR OBEYA

LEARN FROM A MASTER

CHAPTER FIVE: FOLLOW ME

BUILD YOUR A-TEAM

DEFINE THE ROLES

MATCH PEOPLE TO ROLES

CHAPTER SIX: THE POWER OF FOCUS

LEARN TO FOCUS

BUILD FROM STEP 1

PART II. THINGS TO DO

CHAPTER SEVEN – HOW TO BUILD A TEAM THAT WORKS

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M CUT OUT TO BE A CEO?

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM A LEADER?

HOW DO I BUILD ON MY STRENGTHS AS A CEO?

HOW DO I DISCOVER MY IKIGAI?

HOW DO I BUILD AN ACCOUNTABLE ORGANISATION?

HOW DO I LEAD THROUGH GOAL ACHIEVEMENT?

HOW DO I BUILD A WORLD CLASS TEAM?

HOW DO I BENCHMARK A ROLE?

HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE?

HOW DO I FIX A DYSFUNCTIONAL TEAM?

HOW DO I ENGAGE MY DIRECT REPORTS?

HOW DO I DEAL WITH A DIFFICULT EMPLOYEE?

HOW DO I CONDUCT A DISCIPLINARY MEETING?

HOW DO I GET MY TEAM TO DO WHAT I TELL THEM TO DO?

HOW DO I DELEGATE?

HOW DO I BECOME A MORE EFFECTIVE COACH FOR MY TEAM?

HOW DO I GIVE GOOD FEEDBACK?

HOW DO I GET MY TEAM PAST A GROWTH PLATEAU?

HOW DO I MANAGE MY BOARD OF DIRECTORS?

CHAPTER EIGHT: HOW TO BUILD A STRATEGY THAT WORKS

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

HOW DO I BUILD MY OBEYA?

HOW DO I DEVELOP A PEER REVIEW PROCESS?

HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT

HOW DO I USE 'HIGH-VIS'ION BOARDS?

HOW DO I IDENTIFY MY COMPANY’S IKIGAI?

HOW DO I DEVELOP MY COMPANY VISIONING?

HOW DO I IDENTIFY KPIS THAT MATTER?

HOW DO I BUILD A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC ORGANISATION?

HOW DO I LIMIT MY COMPANY’S EXPOSURE TO RISK?

CHAPTER NINE: HOW TO BUILD A PROCESS THAT WORKS

HOW DO I RUN A GREAT MEETING?

HOW DO I GET MORE TIME?

HOW DO I EXECUTE FLAWLESSLY?

HOW DO I HARNESS MY TEAM’S CREATIVITY TO SOLVE A PRESSING PROBLEM?

HOW DO I HARNESS PERSONAL CREATIVITY TO SOLVE A PRESSING PROBLEM?

WHAT DO I DO WHEN I SCREW UP?

PART III. EPILOGUE

THE FLYWHEEL

PERSON (IN THE MIDDLE)

POSITIONING

PLANNING

PERSONAS

PIPELINE

PROCESS

PORTFOLIO

PEOPLE

PRICING AND PROFIT

Foreword

Hi. I don't know about you, but I had mixed results when I was a CEO. It took me a long time to realise that most of the successes and failures were actually down to me, not circumstance or luck. And, most importantly, to realise that I could distinguish what caused both success and failure, and choose the former.

There are many things a CEO can do to be more effective, and there are many excellent books written about each. I am sure that you have read lots of them, and no doubt implemented some of their recommendations. I quote from some of my favourites in this book.

You will almost certainly also have come to the same conclusion as me, that there are no magic bullets. However, having coached, advised and consulted many great CEOs over the last few decades, I believe that there are approaches that if focused on consistently over time, lead to a greater chance of success. This book is about those - the ones that a CEO has to be really good at to be 80% sure of success. Or, the ones that if you don't pay attention to them, are 80% sure to lead to failure.

The book is devided into two parts. The first half is all about things to know about 'you', and how 'you' impacts on your effectivness and success. Simply put, if you change 'you', the world changes for you. Reading a book is easy. Change is not easy. This is a practical book to help you change. What is offered here are ways of thinking and seeing yourself and your world, that will lead you to behave differently and get different results.

The second part of the book is about things to do – the tools and processes that support your new thinking, that you can use to build your organisational success. To be fully successful, you have to know where your organisation adds value, build a fit for purpose team, a compelling vision, a clear strategy and plan of execution and powerful feedback loops to keep improving. Part two is mainly about those. It also includes answers to the common questions my CEO clients are always asking me – the 'How Do I do this, that or the other' questions.

Enjoy the book. Don't be put off by striving for perfection. Progress is the key. Take it one step at a time. Your main project is you.

Acknowledgements

To all the great Masters who have generously shared their insights and from whom I have borrowed freely in compiling this book and living my life - thank you.

Part I. Things to Know

Chapter One: If It Is to Be

Take Responsibility

Dangerous Book: Hi. Pleased to meet you. I’m the Dangerous Book. So, you’ve picked me up and started reading me. Why?

You: Is that a rhetorical question?

No. You’re supposed to answer it.

Okay. Well, I guess I’ve started reading you for essentially the same reasons that I often thought about getting a Coach, or joining a mastermind group.

Which are?

Oh, the usual things. To pick up best practices I may not have considered. Get some new ideas. Get some support.

Yes. That’s what they all say.

What?

Every CEO who has ever picked me up explains the decision that way. That answer certainly sounds plausible enough, and there is certainly some truth in it. But…

But?

But I’m curious. Something tells me that’s not the only reason you, or indeed any other leader, decides to hire a Coach, join a mastermind group, or pick up a book like this.

What do you mean?

Well. I’m going to take a wild guess that there are other reasons you picked up this book, ones perhaps that you don’t feel comfortable saying out loud.

And what are they?

Maybe, just maybe, you thought that by getting support from a Coach or group of peers, and paying close attention during those sessions, week after week, that you would build your confidence, establishing that you’re on the right track, doing the right things; that you are in fact an effective CEO, or, that you’d be less likely to make a mistake that would seriously damage your company. Well? Am I right?

Hmm. That’s uncanny. Yes, I suppose there is a lot of truth in what you’re saying. It’s not that I lack confidence, it is just that I’m never quite sure if I’m missing something or doing the best job I possibly could. In truth, I have no metric or feedback that allows me to benchmark myself. It’s lonely being the boss.

It is. And I’m thinking that’s probably why you are reading this book right now: To see if there’s anything between these covers that can help you feel more confident, anything that could keep you from accidentally erasing your company, eviscerating its market share, or incinerating the good will it has built up over the years.

Well, that’s a bit strong, but I suppose you’re not far off the mark either. I won’t say that I’ve never worried about making a serious mistake. Everybody worries about that. But isn’t this book also about becoming better at my job? I want to be the best CEO I can be.

Good for you. And yes, you’re right. You can reduce the likelihood of catastrophe and become a better CEO by hiring a good Coach. Or, by joining a mastermind group of peers. And, of course, by reading me. There’s a catch, though.

What’s that?

Like working with a good Coach, you must answer all my questions … and you must be honest in your answers.

I think I can handle that.

Just to be clear: If you don’t know something, you have to say I don’t know – out loud. You’d be surprised how many people have a problem with that.

Okay. It’s a deal. What’s the next question?

It’s a big one.

I’m ready.

Are you ready to become a Dangerous CEO?

Well, I am reading you, so let’s say you have definitely grabbed my interest. But what do you mean, exactly, by dangerous?

Let me answer that question with another. By the way, this is my first important thought for you. Do you believe that you are responsible for where you are in life right now - for both your successes and your failures? Or to put it another way, do you believe the results you've had in your life are a direct consequence of your actions?

I suppose so. I’ve heard plenty of people say they believe that, or something like it. A lot of them were successful, so I suppose there must be something to it.

Dangerous CEOs (DCEOs) know that the results they are getting are the consequences of their own actions. They know that they must accept this, because only by taking full responsibility for what is happening are they able to take control and change the outcomes. If they don’t accept responsibility for what’s happening, then someone or something else is in control … and in that situation, how can they possibly change their outcomes?

DCEOs understand that they are the only ones who can change their outcomes … by changing their actions. They understand that to do this they must accept full responsibility for whatever is happening right now.

Is that what makes them Dangerous?

It’s the first, essential step. Now, our initial goal is to make you dangerous. Once we’ve done that, then we can look at how you can make the team and the organisation dangerous. Okay?

Perfect.

Change Your Reasoning

Congratulations. You’re still reading. May I ask you another question?

Fire ahead.

Do you believe your actions are a RESPONSE to the way that you interpret the world, a consequence of your REASONING, the way you explain things to yourself?

Hmm... that’s a little trickier than your last question.

Is it?

Yes, because any number of things that happen are outside of our control, and many circumstances come up that no one could possibly expect ahead of time.

True enough. But that’s not really what I asked you.

Isn’t it?

No. I didn’t ask you what you could predict.

I suppose you didn’t.

I asked whether you believe that YOUR actions are a consequence of the way YOU interpret the world – the way it occurs for you.

So let’s try again. In general, as a broad principle, a way of operating from day to day, do you think that how you explain things to yourself - your REASONING - affects your RESPONSES to the world - your actions - and that these actions affects the RESULTS you get?

Yes. Certainly.

Nice one. Here. Have a look at this model.

There are a few key elements to the model (which, by the way, is based on the See-Do-Get model in Stephen Covey’s book First Things First). There are a number of points of intervention. As we progress through this book I will be asking you to use all the points of intervention in this loop. In other words:

- I will ask you to learn to interpret things differently, by improving your REASONING.

- I will ask you to act differently by choosing different RESPONSES

- And I will ask you to observe the RESULTS you get, and to learn to REFLECT on whether these results are to your liking.

This will create a loop that makes you more effective – more Dangerous.

Macintosh HD:Users:padraigberry:Dropbox (OneFocus):S&M:Books:Illustrators:Denis:Illustrations:Get What You See-01.png

Reflect on Your Results

How can I change the results I am getting?

Let me answer that by asking you a question. Is it possible your worldview is a ‘self-reinforcing closed loop’? By this, I mean is it possible that without reflection – without carefully noticing what happens – you continuously interpret the world in a certain way, which in turn, causes you to behave in an identical fashion. As a result, you keep getting the same outcomes, outcomes that tend to reinforce your existing worldview?

That sounds plausible enough. Can you give me an example?

Sure. Do you like dogs?

I’ve had mixed experiences with them over the years. Why?

Perfect. Let me tell you a little story. It explains the point I just made, so stick with me. Let’s say it’s the weekend. It’s a lovely morning for a walk, and you and I are walking down a road. We happen to pass a building site. There’s a big metal fence around the site with spikes on top. Can you see it?

Yes.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big snarling guard dog appears between two of the bars. The dog barks and bares its teeth at us. We both get a fright, and naturally we jump back. But our reactions after that are very different.

How so?

You turn tail and run, and the dog does its best to run after you. It can smell the fear. In fact, the only thing that stops it from landing its teeth in your behind is the fence. In less than 20 seconds, you’re about half a mile away.

Okay. And how do you react?

Well. After I watch you sprint away in record time, I look at the dog and think, It's only a dog. Once you have vanished, I hunker down and call to the dog and try to calm it down. I say a few soothing words, and it stops barking. Every once in a while, the dog gets agitated again – it can still smell your fear, even at a distance. When that happens, I say something that calms it down. Eventually, the dog completely disengages from attack mode.

I can see how you calmed the dog down. But why did we react so differently?

Good question. Where do you think this difference comes from?

I have no idea.

Let me tell you. When we were kids, very young indeed, you and I were out in our prams – our mothers had stopped to chat – and a big hairy dog strolled by. I sat up in my pram and thought, That looks just like my teddy! And I reached out and petted the dog. Mind you, I didn't even know it was a dog. I just thought it reminded me of my teddy bear. The dog liked the attention and drew closer. It even smelled and tasted like my teddy bear. The dog and I make a wonderful connection. And over in the other pram, you noticed.

Okay. What happened next?

The dog started to walk away. Now, you had seen me connecting with the dog, seen me having fun, and you wanted to have fun, too. So, you tried to reach out to the dog, just like I did. Only, you grabbed for it a little harder than I had, and the dog was surprised. It turned, bared its teeth, and barked. You were scared. Adrenaline rushed through your body and you heard your mom shout, BAD DOG! Get away!

Hmm. Interesting.

Indeed. Now please realize I am simplifying a very complex process here of how beliefs and attitudes are formed and cluster … but consider the possibility that from that moment on, whenever we saw a dog, you and I experienced two very different things. I thought, Nice dog – just like my teddy. But you thought, Bad dog – dangerous. We have dramatically varied experiences when it comes to dogs. Of course, there’s another way to put that.

Which would be …

We have different BELIEFS about dogs, and indeed about everything. Our different belief systems – the different ways we see and interpret the world – lead us to act in certain ways and to interpret the results of those actions in certain ways. Based on the theory of consistency, these results typically reinforce our existing belief systems.

What’s that?

The theory of consistency states that we interpret information in a way that is congruent with our existing values and beliefs. Psychologists believe this process occurs automatically. For most of us, perception really is reality!

And what does all this have to do with Dangerous CEOs?

Well, remember what we said earlier about DCEOs accepting full responsibility for the results they achieve in life. We explained that they understand that these results are the consequence of their actions, the way they respond to any given situation. We pointed out that DCEOs accept the principle that, in order to get different results, they must change their actions.

Yes, I remember all that.

So now it’s time to connect the dots. We can see we have a closed and self-reinforcing loop of REASONING informing RESPONSES, leading to RESULTS that reinforce REASONING, and so on, ad infinitum.

Dangerous CEOs know that it’s their job to break out of this closed loop.

They accept the popular definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results – and they refuse to be insane. That’s what makes them Dangerous, in life and in business. They know that in order to achieve better results, they need to change the way they interpret the world, their what this means muscle, and to respond differently.

The key point here is that DCEOs recognise that it is THEY who must change their own beliefs and their own explanatory styles … not someone or something else.

And will you teach me how to do that?

No. I’ll show YOU how to teach YOURSELF to do it.

Change Your Reality

We are going to get into some heavy stuff straight away. Are you okay with that?

Certainly.

No one can change your life for you. You must do that for yourself. But you can’t do it just by an effort of will.

I can’t?

No. We are all living in our own mental construct - a model we have created and consider to be real, a way of seeing and being that is of our own making. In other words, we create our own reality. This is good news of course, because if we lived any other way, we couldn’t change anything!

But fortunately, we can change our models. We can build a new reality for ourselves, a reality that works better. When you reframe your mental models (the way you reason / interpret things), your behaviour (how you respond) changes, and you get different results.

Here is the point: We all need to reframe our reasoning, how we explain things to ourselves. This is a critical step to happiness and success, and it’s mandatory for DCEOs.

Why is it so important to change this? I’m already pretty good at thinking positively.

It's not about thinking positively. Let me give you an example. One of the key thinking models that we’re all inclined use is the have… do… be… model. So: ‘If I have more money, then I can do the things I want, and I will be happy.’ Instead, we need to focus on actions we can control and revise the model to be… do… have….. Thus: If I practice BEING happy, I will DO things differently and HAVE different outcomes. And: If I want to BE an empathetic leader, I will DO the things empathetic leaders do and ultimately HAVE an empathetic outlook. And so on.

That sounds like it’s going to take a little practice.

It does, but it’s effort well spent. The problem is, have… do… be… simply