What do you think are the most important traits in a VP/GM of a company?
 

I have had good leadership and poor - recently (the past 8 years) my leadership has been very good. I'm wondering what you guys think makes for a great corp leader?

BullCENSORED BY Z-MANting ability. Hands down.

And good hair.

LOL, that's actually a pretty good, succinct summary. Only thing I might add is "be tall."

Call me old fashioned, my answer would be The ability to listen and make decisions.

Les

Depends entirely on the organization. Assuming you report to a hands-on boss (President / CEO /ETC) then you need to be the opposite personality. In other words, if the top guy is a hammer, you need to be the "people" guy. In most smaller businesses with which I have been associated, the role you are describing is the hard ass, make it happen guy.

That's working for me...

I've worked for great and awful CEO's and was a reasonably successful VP/GM. In general, I think I got above average reviews from my direct reports and from the line employees. My business was a mid-tech manufacturing company with a high-tech product and very high-tech customers. We had 100 employees with over half on the manufacturing floor.

Here's a few of my thoughts:

- Leaders set strategy/direction for the business. Managers execute that strategy with precision. Some people can be both, most can't.
- Know your customers. See them often. Talk with them. Without satisfied, repeat customers, there is no business.
- All employees are adults - they pay rent/mortgages, have kids, worry about their futures. Treat them like adults. Communicate with them like adults. Tell them the truth at all times, and if for larger reasons you can't, tell them that you do know, but can't tell them at this time. Like your mom said, honesty is the best policy.
- You have to know enough about the details of the product/technology, market, industry to have a credible dialogue. There's no substitute for detailed knowledge.
- Surprise people with that knowledge every now and then. It keeps them on their toes that the boss really knows what he's talking about.
- If you don't know something, say so. Don't BS it, say, "I'm sorry, I don't know this. Could you please explain it to me so I'll know next time?" Some say this shows weakness. I say it shows humility and respect for the real experts in your organization.
- Be seen, be engaged. Don't close the door to your office unless it is really sensitive, then open it right back up. Walk the floor almost every day. Learn people's names. Stop, talk, ask them what they are doing, what's not going well. Thank them for their work.
- It's just a business. You probably are not curing cancer, solving world hunger, it's just a business. While it is a critically important part of your life, it for many is just a job. That does not mean it is not important to other when they are working, but have a healthy respect for work-life boundaries.
- Communicate openly and frequently. We held monthly employee all-hands meetings just to update on what's going on, acknowledge good stuff. If we have to cancel/reschedule, keep that commitment.
- Have other interests, and talk about them. Nothing is more boring than a boss that only thinks about work. When it's cocktail time, talk about your hobbies/interests - but spend more time listening to others hobbies/interests.
- Don't bring your worries, anger, issues into the office.
- Know the numbers. The single most important think you need to know is how the numbers work in your business. Don't just rely on the CFO, know how they work, know how to use the balance sheet, know the warning signs.
- Don't be a Pollyanna, but don't be a total pessimist. Balance.
- When you have the data to substantiate your opinion, take decisive action. A wrong action, corrected is always better than indefinite inaction.
- Admit and apologize when you are wrong. Say little when others are wrong.
- Reward your top performers frequently. Little things like a dinner out for them and their spouse, an extra day or two out of the country on a business trip.
- Acknowledge and praise the little victories. Celebrate the big ones.
- Fire the malcontents and divisive people immediately.
- Hire slowly and carefully.
- Whenever a hire is made, I always spent 15 to 30 minutes meeting them. Asking about their family, their goals, making sure they knew that I was always available if something was not right - and if they thought something about me was not right to call my boss or the HR manager.
- You don't want to be seen as a push over, but don't be a hard ass either. Be consistently firm, fair and reasonable. Demand much, but have basis in reality. Push people out of their comfort zones, but provide a safety net.
- Finally, I always told my staff and key manager this: Here are my three personal priorities: Family, Health, Truth: You will have the same family long after this job is a distant memory. If there is a family situation you must attend do, do it immediately and without guilt. Take care of your health. If you are ill, you are of no value to your family (rule 1) or the company. No job is worth getting sick over. There's nothing we do is worth going to jail for, so hide nothing hoping it will go away. I will always follow this set of rules and encourage you to do the same.

My $0.02. I'm passionate about well-run businesses and remain in awe of how few there are.

Nice write-up Don.

Pick up the tab for lunch.

Knowledge. Good judgment. People skills.

Excellent, Don. I only have a few things to add, reaffirm:

- Never berate an employee in public.

- Try to promote from within if at all possible or give them promotion opportunities outside your company. My Program Office had a very stable and loyal workforce because they knew I would do my best to promote their career, either within the office or with another PMA.

- Bad news doesn't smell better with age. Let me know soonest if the problem is immediate.

- Don't micro-manage. Once I find a good manager, I let them manage. I set the tone, the goals and the rules I want then to play by: They get to play. Nothing engenders excellent work more than a sense of ownership in the outcome of the project.

- During my 30 minute in brief with all new hires I was very specific as to personal conduct, especially sexual harassment or racial insensitivity (both ways).

- The reputation of the firm/program office is most important...never lie, fudge, exaggerate, etc. My program office had a very good reputation for simply being honest, hard working and successful.


Edit: One more. Be brief and to the point. Time is the resource employees value the most.

Paul and Don, good write-ups.

The book "good to great" had an interesting conversation about good managment. I listened to the book on CD a couple years ago when I moved from Colorado to PA. I think they found that the one leading characteristic of a great CEO was that they were humble.

I borrowed the CD's from the public library. Could be a fun book to listen to or read if you have the time. You can even laugh when they talk about how Fannie Mae went from good to great:)

Rich

Integrity / Compassion / Fortitude / Knowledge / Ability / Passion

Integrity - without your decisions/directions are meaningless

Compassion - Look for the good in all people

Fortitude - Sometimes your decisions are not the most popular but are the best for the organization - stand by them.

Knowledge - It's your business - you better know what you are talking about

Ability - have you had some success in the past? You never know when you need to leverage your ability. People don't respect a talking head.

Passion - Keep it fresh if the desire is not burning in you, how do you hope to stoke the flames in those around you?

It depends. Your company is still small I believe and the job of an IBM top exec is different from the top exec spot in a small start-up company. With a smaller company, the top exec is still somewhat hands-on. As the company grows, the CEO's job changes. As this occurs, the job of the CEO becomes even more clear. He is the guardian of the company's VALUES. He keeps the company from getting outside the behavior that made it great to begin with. He points out where actions WERE, or WERE NOT, consistent with the values, and with the mission statement. If the marketplace were a golf course, the CEO hold the course map and points to the "out of bounds" stakes versus the "casual hazards."

You asked about CEO expectations, I think. General management theory is another subject.