If they made you CEO?

[CaseyMiller]

A question for all of you that have soul sucking corporate jobs like me. Rationally, what would be the first thing you would do if they made you CEO tomorrow?

Here is what I would do. I would make it mandatory that everyone in the company works off of the same data set. Using the same base data and formats. I would make data management required training for everyone in the company. I would mandate that everyone learns how to use and actually utilizes the many collaboration tools currently available.

I would estimate this alone would increase productivity globally by ~ 20%.

What would you do?

[Mrs-M]

Without spirit and worth, a workplace is nothing, so I'd look towards making my employees feel welcome and needed, and I'd reward them at every turn.

[freein05]

I would give all employees a raise plus increase the stock dividend.

[kitten]

Ha, great question and I've fantasized about this often! I'd probably dispatch some underperformers on staff and hire back three valuable folks who were let go recently. Some jobs would be combined - there's no need for four people to do what my manager at my last job was able to accomplish on his own.

I would create a promotions department. It's quite odd - we're a radio station, yet we have no promotions department.

And we'd STOP posting nauseatingly self-congratulatory Facebook posts that have to be vetted by management. If it were up to them, EVERYTHING would sound like a mission statement! People hate being shilled to all the time!


Oh, and so many many many other things...

[cdttmm]

Much like the company featured in this article, I would implement a course on happiness. I would make it open to any employee who wants to take it with the hope that it would improve employees' lives, benefit the company's bottom line, and, overall, make the world a better place!

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682068/how-one-company-taught-its-employees-how-to-be-happier-and-what-happened-next

[gimmethesimplelife]

Assuming my last position was waiting tables somewhere - I would fix things so that there were no close and then open scheduling. Trust me, employees would love me for the basic human rights to sleep that would be associated with that. Performance would likely quickly improve due to less fear of mistakes due to not being worth the human right to sleep. Rob

[Life_is_Simple]

Here is what I would do. I would make it mandatory that everyone in the company works off of the same data set.
I believe you work at the company where I used to work. There was even a "database" named after the person who maintained it. It was a spreadsheet. If you needed this data, you had to be nice to that person :laff:

[SteveinMN]

I would declare "Catch-Up Month". Everything stops; put in the figurative freezer for one month. Spend the time cleaning up loose ends, tackle those long-standing projects which would save you gobs of time and effort in the future but don't get done because there's never time for anything but today's most urgent activities, pull up the big-kid underwear and declare some projects undoable and close them down, ... I hated that feeling of shoveling sand against the tide.

[CaseyMiller]

I would declare "Catch-Up Month". Everything stops; put in the figurative freezer for one month. Spend the time cleaning up loose ends, tackle those long-standing projects which would save you gobs of time and effort in the future but don't get done because there's never time for anything but today's most urgent activities, pull up the big-kid underwear and declare some projects undoable and close them down, ... I hated that feeling of shoveling sand against the tide.

Oh yes! I would do that too. No more new initiatives (except mine of course) until all the current process changes are complete and running smoothly.

"Catch up Month" - I just might suggest this to the heads.

[bae]

I'd maximize shareholder value. For suitable definitions of "value".

[Mrs-M]

I'd maximize shareholder value. For suitable definitions of "value".That's a given IMO when it comes to any good CEO. CEO's I most respect and admire, are those previewed in Undercover Boss. Not only do they have class, they have an understanding of people beyond their own little dream world. Without a workplace, share value means nothing, because the company wouldn't exist.

Google, is a prime example of how to treat ones workforce. It speaks loud and clear. The problem with CEO's who have narrow vision... they only see one thing and that one thing is dollar signs, and the workers (more often than not) are the ones who pay the price. IMO, a CEO requires much more in the way of skills other than bean-counting.

Bean-counters, come a dime-a-dozen... the corporate world is full of those types. In fact, if I were the owner of a corner store, I'd actually look for a bean-counter, because IMO they'd make for a great overseer of my penny-candy counter. I'd have them work after hours, too. However, it's the CEO's with people skills that rise above their lesser counterparts.

[Tradd]

I'd be happy with everyone keeping up to date on their filing. I spend so much time chasing down files.

[iris lilies]

OP, you have no idea how your post resonates with me, the timing is spot on! I think it's fascinating what people and groups will use to justify their decisions.

I think that it can be naive on your part (and mine) to think that a group or leader will approach the data within the same framework as you do. Of course we know that they can draw different conclusions from it. So what I'm saying is: yup in a perfect world we'd all use the same data sets but human being as they are, that's wouldn't solve all of the issues swirling around data driven decisions.

I am working with new data sets that describe the activity, a first time for our organization in many many reports, and it's really interesting to see various reactions. I am learning as much as about staff reactions as I am about the activities described in the data. Not all reactions are logical, haha. Some are logical but don't agree with me! And in the end, that's fine.We are all learning.

On another note: I like the idea of Catch Up month.

[iris lilies]

That's a given IMO when it comes to any good CEO. CEO's I most respect and admire, are those previewed in Undercover Boss.

That great huge hunk in the kilt, did you see that guy!!??? woah. He also appeared to still have wife #1, always a plus in my book.

[SteveinMN]

When I worked at an airline many many moons ago, they examined the notion of a common database. It turned out to be a -- well, it never came to be. It turned out that a term as elemental as "flight" had one meaning to the marketing folks (NYC to Cancun at 2:15 pm on February 15!), one to the maintenance folks (747 N625US for 3.5 hours), one to the pilots, one to the flight-attendant crew, one to the catering company, ...

Not to say it cannot be done. But having everyone agree on terms that will work for all stakeholders is a complicated project that calls for lots of planning. It didn't happen there.

[Mrs-M]

That great huge hunk in the kilt, did you see that guy!!??? woah. He also appeared to still have wife #1, always a plus in my book.I missed that episode, but caught so many others that were very touching.

[profnot]

I've worked for myself for buckets of years so I'm going back the law firm I worked at.

Put the owner/attorney in his office and have him do legal work all day. The staff attorneys would be required to meet with him every Monday for case review and strategy sessions. (He was good at those.)

He cannot sign checks. He cannot interact with clients unless I am with him as chaperone. He cannot set client fees. He cannot set employee wages. He cannot be his core business-inept self.

When I managed as much as he let me, this guy made $150K and up every year. Now he makes around $40K since he pays my replacement less than half of what he paid me. He gets what he pays for. Twit.

Thanks for the vent opportunity!

[awakenedsoul]

I was fortunate to have some excellent directors in my work. It wasn't corporate, but they were fine examples of leadership. Tommy Tune was my favorite. When he hired me he asked, "Awakenedsoul are you a healthy person?" "Yes," I answered. "Are you a happy person?" "Yes." "Great. Go upstairs and sign you contract," he told me. That was for my first tour of a Broadway show. The dance captain was fabulous. at my callback her eyes were shining. "Your life is going to change," she promised me. And it did. Tommy was the star of the show; he also directed it. Lucie Arnaz was the leading lady. We really looked up to both of them. Tommy was so disciplined and dedicated. Each night before the show he would have whoever wanted to stand in a circle and hold hands. We did a little tap step together with the Gershwin overture and said to each other, "Good show!" It sounds corny, but it was a really positive experience. He knew how to pick quality people. Really high caliber. Because of that, there weren't any personality conflicts or ego problems. We were also paid very well and stayed in fancy hotels. Those were the days!
So, I would want to lead the way Tommy did, by example.

[SvenV]

I agree with Mrs-M

I would do much thing that the employers are happy, feel welcome and needed. That they can bring their ideas. That they feel as one team, and not just a few individuals who are working for the same company.... team building is very important.