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Understand your business stage and prepare for advanced growth

Apr 26th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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Darren Shirlaw

Darren Shirlaw

By Darren Shirlaw, Founder of Shirlaws Global

“Current conversations are often about surviving the recession, but this misses an important point. It’s too late to think about survival, and just the right time to be planning for economic recovery”, says Darren

The Great Recession

While the so-called Great Recession focused everyone on survival, many businesses failed to appreciate their own stage in the business cycle. This understanding will help you plan for economic recovery by matching your business stage when preparing for growth. Continue reading →

Posted in: Business, Business growth, Business Performance.

20 Ways to Add Value

Apr 26th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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20 Ways to Add ValueBy Phil Jesson

In the future, there will only be two types of companies:-

  • Those who are perceived as cost creators
  • Those who are perceived as value creators

The former are in for a hiding and many of them will not survive for obvious reasons….they will be seen as a “cost”. Value creators will survive and live to see another day!

So how do you add value to an existing customer or key account? Firstly, your salespeople may need to change the wiring inside their heads. Our job is not to push the customer to buy more“. Our job is to improve our profitability and performance by helping the customer to improve their profitability and performance! We have to help increase their sales or help reduce costs……………..or both, of course!

Continue reading →

Posted in: Adding Value, Business Performance, business support services.

Searching for Higher Purpose

Apr 26th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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Andrew B Morris

Andrew B Morris

By Andrew B Morris, CEO of the Academy for Chief Executives

The number of business leaders that now considers making money less important than making a difference is on the increase. Following Greg Smith’s recent outburst at Goldman Sachs (I suspect we might see more of these) this is particularly timely. It signifies a deeper desire to understand why businesses exist and what they are here to achieve.

Do we accept as a given that businesses need to maximize profit and optimize value for shareholders? Or should we accept that making a fair profit and returning reasonable value is okay? Is the insatiable appetite for profit and ROI blinkering us to the wider context in which we operate?

Continue reading →

Posted in: Adding Value, Business purpose, CEOs, Making a difference.

Working in partnership to support UK businesses

Apr 26th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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Advertisement Feature
Royal Bank of Scotland

Every business sets goals for the future but how regularly do you review your business plan? At RBS we work with businesses to help them plan ahead for the short, medium and long term.

The role of banks with regards to supporting the growth of UK businesses continues to be crucial and with the focus on lending figures and access to finance continuing, the relationship you have with your bank is increasingly important. In order to receive the right funding solution it is vital you understand the options available and work together with your bank to review your business plan. This allows you to assess how you can maximise on any growth opportunities and overcome any obstacles that are preventing expansion and future job creation.

Continue reading →

Posted in: Banking sector, Business growth, Partnership.

Let’s Share – by Jo Haigh

Apr 2nd, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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Jo Haigh

Jo Haigh

They say that those that can do, indeed usually end up doing it for themselves. But owning and running your own business is often fraught with problems and not everyone who is capable really wants to share.

Yet inevitably, those staff that are good, very often require more than a bonus to keep them on board with you, and to help them to remain motivated for the duration.

One of the most attractive incentives for such ambitious people is a stake in the business.

Continue reading →

Posted in: Business, Share Scheme.

Leading in ‘The Human Age’

Mar 28th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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In a recent study, titled Why Global Leaders Succeed and Fail, Right Management (a part of the Manpower Group) worked with Chally Group to survey over 1400 CEOs and HR professionals across the globe on their leadership development practices. The Academy for Chief Executives has worked with Right Management to bring you this newsletter which focuses on the challenges and possibilities of leading in what Owen J Sullivan, CEO of Right Management calls ‘The Human Age’.

In his introduction to the report, he notes, “Business results depend on bringing leaders of all levels to the peak of their potential in accelerated time frames and with maximum efficiency. New challenges are confronting leaders at a quickening pace. No organization can afford to overlook leader development.”

Continue reading →

Posted in: CEOs, Human Resources, Leadership, Leadership Qualities.

Why Global Leaders Succeed and Fail

Mar 28th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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When Right Management and Chally Group surveyed business leaders for Why Global Leaders Succeed and Fail, they looked at a number of aspects of the development and survival of CEOs in a variety of businesses worldwide.

Chally Study - Why Global Leaders Succeed and FailAn early discovery was that most CEOs come from operational or financial backgrounds. It is only partially clear why that might be. “If all leadership roles required the same skill set, we would expect all functional areas to be equally represented. If all positions required the same skill set as the CEO position, then all individuals from all functions should have similar skill sets. We would assume that people are promoted to CEO from Operations and Finance because they are perceived to have developed competencies that are important for the CEO role.”

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Posted in: CEOs, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, Managerial Skills, MDs, Thought Leadership.

Success comes from planned succession

Mar 28th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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successionAs in many other areas of business life, succession planning (or the lack of it) has a lot to do with attitude. Attitude that starts with the CEO. Can the CEO, for example, outsource talent development and management to others? The report, Why Global Leaders Succeed and Fail, suggests that the answer to this is NO. “The CEO’s role is paramount to the depth of the leadership pipeline. Companies that have a higher proportion of promotions from within are less likely to suffer from lack of qualified candidates. Those CEOs who are personally vested in developing leaders enjoy a richer likelihood of stronger leadership bench strength, ensuring the organization is ready for unplanned changes or pending retirements at the top levels.”

Continue reading →

Posted in: CEOs, Decision Making, Empowerment, High Growth Organisations, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, Managerial Skills, Taking Action, Team Development.

A Recipe for a Successful CEO?

Mar 28th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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recipe for a successful ceoIn the report Why Global Leaders Succeed and Fail from Right Management, CEOs and Human Resources professionals were asked to rank the key skills of a CEO. The majority (92%) in both groups cited Creating a Strategic Vision as a key skill. In fact the top 5 skills are ranked in the same places by both groups.

This is the thinking of one sample of leaders. At the Academy for Chief Executives, we have our own resource of many years of CEO experience to call upon. The members of our groups are all living this role very day and must have their own views on what makes a great CEO. Continue reading →

Posted in: CEOs, High Growth Organisations, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, Managerial Skills, strategy planning, Taking Action.

Top tips – Understanding your most important customers

Feb 27th, 2012
by chiefexecutive.
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Top tips for Understanding your most important customers “Whilst telephone research, website surveys, questionnaires etc all have their place this is not good enough for key accounts – in the same way that members of staff get an annual appraisal, key accounts should get an annual face to face appraisal carried out by a senior executive.” says Phil Jesson of Key Account Specialists KAMGURU. We use their checklist here with permission.

These questions are not a script – they are a series of prompts designed to establish the key account’s perceptions as part of a conversation – they should be tailored to suit each situation. Remember that their perceptions become your reality!

Continue reading →

Posted in: Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service, Customers and Sales.

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