Interesting thing about Fortune 500 CEOs

[conversationpc]

My pastor mentioned a book in church on Sunday (can't remember the author's name or the title) that was written by a guy who researched the CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies. As part of the process, he interviewed the other employees who interacted with the CEOs on a regular basis. He found that most of these employees considered their CEO to be kind, caring, compassionate, and even laid back and somewhat withdrawn or perhaps quiet.

You'd think from the demonization that these guys go through in the public and particularly the media that many of their own employees would have at least a few nasty things to say about them. Even if this study isn't 100% accurate, I think it goes to show how inaccurate our view of these people can be.

I know at least one CEO of a Fortune 500 company who goes to my church. He volunteers his time to work in the children's ministry there, gets down on the floor and plays with the kids, and generally gives of himself, his time, money, etc.

[steveo777]

My pastor mentioned a book in church on Sunday (can't remember the author's name or the title) that was written by a guy who researched the CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies. As part of the process, he interviewed the other employees who interacted with the CEOs on a regular basis. He found that most of these employees considered their CEO to be kind, caring, compassionate, and even laid back and somewhat withdrawn or perhaps quiet.

You'd think from the demonization that these guys go through in the public and particularly the media that many of their own employees would have at least a few nasty things to say about them. Even if this study isn't 100% accurate, I think it goes to show how inaccurate our view of these people can be.

I know at least one CEO of a Fortune 500 company who goes to my church. He volunteers his time to work in the children's ministry there, gets down on the floor and plays with the kids, and generally gives of himself, his time, money, etc.

Kind of like Jesus would do?

[Don]

A majority of the people that succeed in life and and leave great impressions with their subordinates are those that can remember names and small details. I learned this in the Military and also in the civilian world. I had dealings with a company called ILFC (International Lease Finance Corporation). They lease and sell Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Their founder knew every employee by their first name and kept tabs on all their birthdays also. If he didn't have a meeting first thing in the morning, he would walk through the floor stopping at everyone's desk and interact with them, talking about their spouse, children or what not. The guy was semi-retired but made a point of coming into the office once a week to keep open communication with the staff. Did he really care for his workers? Tough to say, but by the simple action of remembering their names and greeting them as an equal, you could not find a single employee interested in saying one bad word about the guy.

Little things make the world go around just a much as the big things in life. When you grasp that, the road to success becomes a lot shorter.

[JasonD]

A majority of the people that succeed in life and and leave great impressions with their subordinates are those that can remember names and small details. I learned this in the Military and also in the civilian world. I had dealings with a company called ILFC (International Lease Finance Corporation). They lease and sell Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Their founder knew every employee by their first name and kept tabs on all their birthdays also. If he didn't have a meeting first thing in the morning, he would walk through the floor stopping at everyone's desk and interact with them, talking about their spouse, children or what not. The guy was semi-retired but made a point of coming into the office once a week to keep open communication with the staff. Did he really care for his workers? Tough to say, but by the simple action of remembering their names and greeting them as an equal, you could not find a single employee interested in saying one bad word about the guy.

Little things make the world go around just a much as the big things in life. When you grasp that, the road to success becomes a lot shorter.

+1

Great post !!!!

[conversationpc]

A majority of the people that succeed in life and and leave great impressions with their subordinates are those that can remember names and small details.

I have a hard time remembering names, even though I make it a point to do so. I work in my church's children's ministry also and do the check-in specifically so I can learn their names better. I still have a hard time sometimes remembering names. I'm much better with numbers.

[Andrew]

Interesting thing about Fortune 500 CEOs

They ALL have more money than me.

[Ehwmatt]

Interesting thing about Fortune 500 CEOs

They ALL have more money than me.

You're not alone sir.

But great post Dave and great post GB. Yes, you get the stereotypical egomaniacal, tyrannical asshole who can make an entire company's worth of employees miserable and fear for their jobs on a daily basis. You also get the bumbling blue-blooded idiots who ascended to the position by virtue of their daddy or granddaddy... particularly at banks, which is largely why we're in the position we're in now.

But, as a whole, at the bare minimum, the big-time CEOs will be slick people who, if nothing else, can put up a good front for any one, be it an employee, a board member, a shareholder, or the press. Best case scenario, a lot of CEOs truly treat the company (and its assets) as they would their own family - the people are the family and the company's performance (eg bottom line) is the "family's" nest egg. By and large, someone who organically makes it to the top of the management chain simply doesn't get to such a position by treating people badly and not performing.

[S2M]

It's easy to be that person when you want for NOTHING.....when you have no worries about yourself, it is easy to think of others....and the people without money who do good are just afraid of how they will appear to others....

[conversationpc]

It's easy to be that person when you want for NOTHING.....when you have no worries about yourself, it is easy to think of others....and the people without money who do good are just afraid of how they will appear to others....

That's bullcrap.