WEEKLY WAITE-O-GRAM (Release 47.0)

WATCH YOUR SHELF LIFE

Events in the Middle East remind us that despots, like boxers, never seem to know when to quit. They almost invariably go one fight... or one rigged election...too long...and then get the stuffing knocked out of them. For the boxers, it is often the case that their hangers-on --promoters, agents and trainers-- want another pay day. With despots, they've had all the pay days one could imagine (typically deposited away in a Swiss or Caribbean bank account.) But they, too, have their hangers-on, individuals who depend on the leader's continued presence to fill their own pockets. These are not people who are likely to tell the Emperor that he has no clothes...and that it is time to get the heck out of Dodge. So it was with Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali... and so it appears to be with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Each was surrounded by sycophants...and now one is gone...while the other seems headed for the same fate.

 MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS

As something of a news junkie...not to mention a student of executive leadership...I have been watching the unfolding events with fascination. Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the Egyptian situation was Mubarak's midnight (Cairo time) address to the nation on Friday. Having pulled the plug on virtually all Internet traffic (a modern day sure sign of desperation), the 82 year-old dictator went on live television to make the case that-- surprise!-- HE was the change they had been waiting for!  Apparently having somehow located the make-up artist who had worked on Richard Nixon prior to the 1960 Presidential Debate, Mubarak, with his jet-black died hair and strange, L'Oreal-induced pancake patina, ended up looking like a cross between Herman Munster...and Cher. While it is difficult to know what the masses of Egyptians thought of how he looked...it soon became clear what they thought of what he said. They voted with their feet...and went back to the streets.

 OBAMA-RAMA

Only a few minutes after Mubarak finished...President Obama went on the air. The contrast could have not been more stark. As we have seen over the past four weeks, the man may have his faults, but public speaking is not one of them. Tuscon, the State of the Union...and now a crisp, clear counter-point to Mubarak... with the added touch that he had just been speaking to the Egyptian President moments before!  The US is in something of a diplomatic pickle when it comes to Egypt, Yemen (and, dare we say it out loud? Saudi Arabia), but in a few short moments he managed to walk the very narrow line between backing an ally...and living up to democratic principles. And of course he looked vibrant and vigorous...which would have been a great contrast to Mubarak...had the Egyptian population (other than those with satellite access to the Al Jazeera network).

LESSONS FOR US ALL?

Are there any lessons for corporate executives (or North American politicians) in all of this?  Aside from avoiding a bad dye job?  Actually, I think there are several.  First, be sure to surround yourself with people who will give you an honest appraisal of where you stand with key stakeholders. People who will not just tell you when the Emperor has no clothes...but also when your fly is down...or you have a run in your stockings. (I use the female example with the stockings...but on the political side, at least, have you ever noticed all the despots are male? Discuss.) Second, have a plan to leave. Sure, it might be in five, seven or ten years...but create a path that includes succession and orderly transition. This will be as popular with most executives as pre-planning a funeral...but it is not only necessary...but it actually creates benefits for both the organization and the individual. Third, communicate constantly...not just in the teeth of an emergency. By all accounts both Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosin Mubarak had become distant figures to their people, seldom seen or heard from. Get out there with employees, customers and suppliers in good times and bad. It is well worth the investment.

 THIS MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE

In my own case I made a decision, fairly early in my corporate career, to work five or six years for a company...and then move on. What I had found was that I spent the first 18 months or so ramping up to speed...has fully engaged in years two, three, four and five...and then somewhat bored by the repetition and lack of new learning by year six. Perhaps it is because I had as a very young age been a reporter...but for whatever reason, I thirsted to try out new sectors and firms.And I realised the only way to make this work (from my employer's point of view) was to revitalize the department I was running...take it to a higher level of performance...while also developing or recruiting a worthy successor. (One trick in all of this is to find a successor better than you are -- something I turned out to be remarkably good at doing. It always helps to start from a low baseline!)  I actually followed this model five times in a row.  It worked for me and, I think, for the companies. The only downside is that you don't end up with much of a pension...and you leave good friends behind.

IN OTHER NEWS...

For those who enjoy film, I would highly recommend "Incendies", directed (in French) by Canadian Denis Villeneuve. Nominated just this week for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, the story toggles between Montreal and south Lebanon (and the early 1970's and present day), examining sectarian violence in the context of a family mystery. To tell more would give away the plot, but it is an intense, surprising film experience... think of Clint Eastwood's "The Unforgiven"... crossed with Roman Polanski's "Chinatown"...shot in Jordan (the real south Lebanon being unavailable.)  I saw the film at the new TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto...but it should be getting wider release now that it has been nominated.

THIS SOURCE IS DRYING UP...

I was mildly amused when my daughter Emily, a freshman at UCLA, told me she was taking a course called "America In the '60's". I was somewhat bemused when she asked to interview me...as a "primary source". But now I am confused when she tells me that the things that went on in the 60's were "weird" and "crazy". Compared to what?  We had Janis Joplin...now there's Lady Ga-Ga. We had Fidel Castro...now there's...Fidel Castro. What's the big deal? (By the way, Fidel Castro -- famous for three-hour speeches-- is proof that you CAN communicate too much.)

AND FINALLY...

We went winter camping in California's Yosemite National Park in late December. Got several feet of snow and had to put chains on our vehicle. The tents were heated. As was the debate about where to take our next vacation.

(The opinions expressed in this newsletter are solely those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of Waite + Co's President, Karen Shigeishi-Waite, or its principle shareholder-- Karen Shigeishi-Waite.  Any comments, suggestions, rebuttals or syntax corrections should be directed to the author and not to the aforementioned Karen Shigeishi-Waite, who also points out that she barely recalls the 1960's, except for Little-Joe Cartwight and Yertle the Turtle, and that, unlike Hosia Mubarak, she definitely does NOT need to apply tons of make-up to maintain her status as Waite + Co. President for Life.)

WEEKLY WAITE-O-GRAM (RELEASE 6.0)

QUIZ TIME

No CEO Deadly Sins this week-- but I do have a quiz question. Quick, WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP ON GOOGLE or any other search engine, what were the original Seven Deadly Sins? The answer will be found at the end of this blog.

GOOD BOSS, BAD BOSS

Over the course of a career, one typically has many bosses - and of course some of us become bosses ourselves.  Some are good; some are OK; some are the bosses from hell. While most people think of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as a story about the spirit and meaning of the holiday season...one can argue it is really about bosses...contrasting "Good Old Fezziwig", with his kindness to employees and apprentices... with Ebenezer Scrooge... who makes Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada"... look positively cuddly.

A GREAT BOSS... GONE

This all came to mind this past week with the passing of Jerry terHorst... my former boss at Ford Motor Company back in the mid-1980's in Ford's Washington, D.C. office. Jerry is best remembered as the man who resigned as President Gerald Ford's press secretary...on September 8, 1974...in protest over Ford's pardoning of disgraced ex-President Richard M. Nixon.  All of Jerry's obituaries, including the one in the New York Times, led with this incident.  And this was only natural -- an individual willing to walk away from a top job in Washington for the sake of principle... was and is about as rare as a buzzard excusing itself from fresh road kill. But Jerry terHorst was more than one brave gesture...he was a terrific manager of people and great mentor... and he leaves behind dozens of former colleagues who have tried in one way or another to emulate his style of leadership.

A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE

I first met Jerry terHorst thanks to a bridge game. To illustrate just how civil-even cosy-- Washington was a quarter century ago...my bridge partner was journalist Cheryl Arvidson...whom I had met when she was with UPI covering the Senate and I was with Republican Senator Ed Brooke. Our worthy opponents were Dale Leibach, Jimmy Carter's former assistant press secretary...and his spouse Kathy Patterson, Washington reporter for the Kansas City Star...whom I had interacted with frequently when working as Bob Dole's press secretary. Dale...between tricks...let it be known that he'd soon be leaving Ford Motor Company...for the more lucrative if somewhat murky world of the Teamster's Union Central States Pension Fund. Would I be interested in his job?  Never having met a job offer I wouldn't at least consider... I said "sure".

'HAVE FUN WITH IT'

Soon afterwards I met Jerry...armed with a good recommendation from Dale...some kind words from several journalists...and praise from political types from both sides of the aisle (I may have been the only Reagan Republican, other than David Gergen, who did things like ski every winter with a group organized by the left-leaning Americans for Democratic Action...and summer in a beach house on the Delaware shore with a score or so journalists...who had viewed the 1980 election of a California actor as the end of civilization.) At any rate, Gerry, who himself was married to a liberal Democratic activist, saw such cross-over activities as a plus, not a blot or stain, and (after a ritual visit to the "Glass House" - Ford's HQ in Dearborn, Michigan) hired me. "We are here to do a serious job," he told me on my first official day. "But I also want you to have fun with it. No job is worth having... if you are not having fun."

PATIENT, KIND AND CALM

Jerry's mandate, as he liked to put it, was to be "the eye's and ears of Ford in Washington." He had been brought on board in the wake of the Pinto and other product disasters... to shore up Ford's tarnished image. Wisely, he insisted that he would only take the position if it worked both ways - he would happily carry Ford messages to Washington...but only if senior management would listen to, and take seriously, the intelligence he gathered in Washington from politicians, regulators and media..."the unvarnished truth."  In reality, Jerry couldn't have varnished the truth if he had wanted to. A veteran of World War II (US Marines) and the son of Dutch immigrants who saw moral issues in stark black and white, he was as a journalist and as an executive, the straightest of straight shooters. Yet he was also a patient teacher; kind and thoughtful and - perhaps his greatest strength-always calm center when all others around him were losing their heads. The only clue that he was agitated...was that he would puff more frequently on his ever-present pipe.

FUN, FUN, FUN

What I loved most about Jerry was that he was open to new ideas...and would let you run with them. A colleague and I came up with the idea of a "Political Pursuit" game (modelled loosely on the Canadian trivia game) that we proposed to distribute at the 1984 Democratic and Republican conventions. "Give it a try!" he said (and we did; it ending up on "The Today Show" on NBC and in the hands of virtually every politician, delegate and journalist.) How about I take a cherry-red Ford F-150 pickup down to the beach house and let it loose among my foreign car-loving media buddies?  "Sure" said Jerry...and the "the TRUCK" as everyone called it...became more popular than first dibs on the outdoor shower.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE 

Of course it was not all fun and games. There were serious issues, like air bags and seat belts, crash test ratings, fuel economy standards, import quotas. And, true to his word, Jerry delivered the unvarnished truth to Ford executives. He even on many occasions delivered it directly to Henry Ford II (or "Hank the Deuce", in Jerry's parlance.) Henry, the grandson of the founder and a man who had himself had saved Ford after World War II, would come into Washington, stay at the Watergate or Four Seasons. He would invariably wish to be "briefed" after a good dinner...and several bottles of wine. I was brought along, I think, as a kind of witness. Jerry always delivered his messages remarkably cogently under the circumstances. I am not quite sure Henry listened with quite the same precision... but to give Jerry credit, the company did warm to taking a leadership role in the safety realm... although it (and other US manufacturers) fell short on fuel economy.

LESSONS LEARNED 

After a few years, I moved on to Ford of Canada...taking a "developmental" assignment. I developed alright... meeting my future spouse...settling down...and having a couple of kids. But I never forgot Jerry... both as a boss...or a person. The lessons I learned from him were useful throughout my career. Be the calm center when others are losing their heads; be generous in letting your folks try new things (and let them take the credit when it works); always communicate in two directions; and most of all, take some joy in your work. (I also learned that you can lead Henry Ford to wine... but you'll never out drink him.) Jerry, I missed you from the day I headed to Oakville from D.C. - you were that rare find, a great, good boss.    

AND THE DEADLY SINS ARE...

The modern (post-590 AD) deadly sins are generally accepted to be 1) Wrath; 2) Greed; 3) Sloth; 4) Pride; 5) Lust; 6) Envy; and 7) Gluttony. But did you know that over various points in history there have been as many as 11 deadly sins... and as few as six? Or that one was once "Acedia"... which is defined as "apathetic listlessness... depression without joy"? This may offer a clue as to why mental illness...even to this day...is so shunned a topic of conversation. At any rate, so far as I know, Jerry terHorst never displayed any deadly sins, from six to 11. I would go so far to say he was something of a Saint... except I think his Dutch Reform parents would say that smacked faintly of Pride.

AND FINALLY... 

I proudly (sin alert!) put my Red Sox flag atop the flagpole in front of our house on opening day. A week later my neighbour across the street, Dr. Claude, said he found it interesting that I had added editorial comment to my annual ritual. "What do you mean, Claude?" He said take a close look... and, sure enough, the flag was upside down...the international signal of distress. Now I am trying to figure out if I put it up that way...or there's a mischievous Yankees fan in the neighbourhood!

(This blog may be forwarded near and wide, as a blatant marketing tool for Waite + Co. www.waiteandcompany.com <http://www.waiteandcompany.com/>  The author is solely responsible for its content, including any inaccuracies, exaggerations or omissions. For example, while I described members of the Washington media in the 1980's as Toyota-hugging left-wing Reagan-haters, it should be pointed out that Cheryl Arvidson, Iowa born and bred, loves Ford Mustangs and other made in the USA vehicles. And she didn't hate Reagan - she had used up pretty much all of her hate on Richard Nixon...and didn't restock until the second Bush. I should also point out that we should be happy to be living in the 21st century and not at a time when there were 11 deadly sins. Otherwise we'd all be more or less in Tiger Woods' shoes. Minus the Nike ad.)

WEEKLY WAITE-O-GRAM (RELEASE 5.0)

DEADLY SIN #3: HINT...IT'S NOT SLOTH!

You were probably expecting to hear about lack of life-work balance as Deadly Sin #7. Sort of a throw-away at the end. Wrong. I debated making it #1 -- but chickened out because I knew most CEO's (and C-Suite wannabes) would view it as a "soft" issue. In reality, spending time with family, taking vacations, developing outside interests, etc. can be incredibly difficult for individuals who have spent their entire lives on the corporate fast-track. However, if you want to succeed as a CEO...and enjoy the ride...you need to slow down. The sprinting is over...you now need to settle in to the rhythm of the long distance runner...without the loneliness.

LENGTH (OF TENURE) DOES MATTER

I don't want to mislead here -- according to a recent article in Forbes Magazine, the average tenure of a US CEO is now 6.1 years. This is actually a slight lengthening from a year earlier ... but well short of the 9.8 year average CEO tenure reported in 1999. Your objective, however, isn't to be average -- it's to succeed. And to succeed long-term you need stamina, pace and balance.

TAKE YOUR VACATION!

First of all, take vacations. Real vacations. No blackberry. No daily conference calls. No claims that you are hiking the Appalachian Trail...when you are actually enrolled in a Harvard Business School brush-up session. And don't leave one job on a Friday...to take up a new one on Monday. You think this looks macho...others think it is either showing off...or just plain dumb.

TAKE IT FROM ME...

If you fail to take any time off...at some point it will catch up with you. In the mid- to late 1970's I jumped from assignment to assignment, from job to job...with no down time. I went straight from serving as a correspondent in Warsaw, Poland... to a job as founding managing editor of a Sunday newspaper in Massachusetts... to press secretary to a United States Senator in Washington, D.C. The DC job was especially challenging, as the Senator, Edward Brooke, was up for re-election. Finally, in late November of 1978...I took my first vacation in years...traveling to the Yucatan in Mexico. In the second week of that holiday... the world around me seemed to drop down into a lower gear, like a film shifting from fast to normal motion. It was only then that I realised how much I had needed to get away. Non-stop work can make anyone a little crazy (as can non-stop vacationing...but that's another story.)

PLAYING 'MONOPOLY' DOESN'T COUNT

So take all of your vacation time...and make sure at least one holiday per year is two weeks or more in duration. Your movie will not slow down until that second week. But vacations alone are not enough. You also ideally need an outside interest or two to take you away from the pressures of the day-to-day job. One executive I worked closely with, John Thompson of IBM, had sailing as one of his outlets. As busy as he was as CEO of IBM Canada, he would schedule himself out of the office at 4 PM on race days...make his way down to Lake Ontario...and head out on his boat.

FLOWER POWER

Another executive had a passion for orchids...and would actually schedule "orchid time" to spend with his prized plants. (The fact that the orchids to my knowledge never asked him for bigger bonuses, raises or complained about their fellow orchids was probably part of the appeal.) The point is, find something... military history...cooking...tennis...skiing...that takes you away and concentrates your mind, blocking out the pressures of the job. And schedule it...or it will never happen. Jim Dryburgh, CEO of Balanced Worklife Company, says that the biggest problem for most CEO's is that they are "scheduled 110% of the time" with short horizon concerns. You need to carve out time for reflection regarding longer-term strategy...but you also need to build in personal time as well.

PLUS YOUR FAMILY WILL REMEMBER YOUR NAME

Will better work-life balance make you a better CEO? Probably, because it helps to be perceived as human when you are at the top. Will it guarantee that you have a longer tenure in the job? Hard to say for sure -- I have no seen any hard data. But intuitively it seems likely.

FULL DISCLOSURE

 The GRAM is being written from the Island of Kauai, where I am ensconced with my family, living in a local rented home for a couple of weeks. By writing this... I am in a sense breaking my own rule regarding getting completely away from work. I plan to admonish myself as soon as I finish typing.

( The views expressed are entirely those of the author, who takes full responsibility for any errors, omissions or misstatements. To learn more about Waite + Co. please visit www.waiteandcompany.com <http://www.waiteandcompany.com/>  Should you have any comments, feel free to send them to robert@waiteandcompany.com Aloha.)  

WEEKLY WAITE-O-GRAM (RELEASE 4.0)

DEADLY CEO SIN #2: 'BUNKERISM'

No, this is not a reference to the Archie Bunker character from the 1979's TV hit, "All in the Family".  But if the term got you thinking instead of Germany during, say, late 1944 and early 1945, you're on the right track. The point is, spending too much time squirreled away with staff...and not enough time out with the troops...can put a leader out of touch with reality...and lead to a very bad ending.

HIT THE ROAD, JACK (OR JILL)

Getting out of head office frequently is always a good option...but it is especially important during the early days of a CEO's tenure. This is true for both those who are promoted from within...and those who are new to the company. In the case of the internal CEO, it is likely that he or she has headed up a unit, function or line of business, but has not had extensive contact with employees and customers that fell outside their span of control. Both employees and customers will want to see and hear from you. If you perceive no great need for a change in your company's strategic direction, product offerings or market approach, communicate this. The naming of a new CEO, any new CEO, creates some level of anxiety.  Clear communication can dissipate that sense of unease and get people refocused on the task at hand.

THE 'WHY' EVEN BEFORE THE 'WHAT'

On the other hand, if you anticipate the need to make significant change during your tenure, due presumably to market or competitive shifts, it is important to set the stage for this by communicating the change in your business environment and the case for a response. Fifty years ago a CEO might have gotten away with simply issuing orders: Not so today. Employees (and customers) want to know why you are doing something and just how they fit in. Doing this face-to-face, while time consuming, is still by far the best method to accomplish this. Electronic delivery mechanisms, from streaming video to social media, all have their place, but study after study continues to show that getting out live and in person resonates much higher with employees and customers.

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? 

If you are new to your company, all the more reason to get out and about. When Canada Post CEO Moya Greene took the reins of that Crown Corporation in 2005, she spent almost half of her time during her first six months out at mail sorting plants, depots, post offices and company franchises with employees. In this instance, it was not so much about delivering a message - although a message was delivered-but more about listening. Canada Post, it will be remembered, had just come through a rough patch during the so-called Sponsorship Scandal. Morale, never all that high to begin with at Canada Post due to a legacy of management-union distrust, was approaching rock-bottom. Yet within just a few months...simply by being visible on the shop floor...and asking people to express their opinions...Moya sent out a strong signal that things had changed...and the past could finally be put in the past...rather hang like an oppressive dark cloud over the enterprise. 

NOTHING WRONG WITH BORROWING

Customers also need attention and to be listened to during the early months of an outside CEO's tenure. Lou Gerstner, during his first days as CEO at IBM, made a point of seeing as many customers as possible, in part to reassure them that he would retain the best of what IBM had been, but equally importantly, to communicate to them that they would be listened to and put at the center of company strategies and priorities. As Gerstner himself put it in his book, "Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?" it was "crucial that I get out into the field. I didn't want my understanding of the company to be based on the impressions of headquarters employees."  If these outreach efforts sound a little like a political campaign tour, well, they are. Things like good advance work, the careful crafting of messages, the appropriate staging; even the town meeting format and the use of surveys-all are transferable from the political world.  At the end of the day, you want to find ways to motivate your people, to get them more fully engaged behind your vision of where the company needs to go.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

I recently finished a book called "The Trusted Advisor" by a fellow named David Maister. It is not a new book - it was originally published in 2000-by it is highly relevant to anyone who sells professional services. Like me.  And it is even more relevant to anyone thinking about BUYING professional services. Maister, who taught at the Harvard Business School for seven years before setting out on his own, has constructed an almost perfect blueprint outlining how management consultants, lawyers and other advisory types can worm their way into your lives, becoming seemingly indispensable for an ever widening array of tasks. Suggestions range from the more prosaic remembrance of birthdays...to the delivery of books, flowers or maple syrup (OK, I made that last one up - but I did have a consultant once who every year gave me tins of maple syrup... boiled and processed by him on his Quebec farm.)

CAN YOU TRUST...YOUR TRUSTED ADVISOR?

Maister, who known as something of a maverick in the consulting world, has in essence written a very subversive tome. On the one hand, it has dozens of ideas and methodologies for, say, your friendly McKinsey consultant to bore his or her way into your heart (and bank balance). On the other hand, the book can be bought by anyone and everyone...including those same C-Suite executives who are the target of these endearing strategies. So, as I say, good reading for the buyer and seller of professional services...and if, at the end of the day, the consultant delivers good value for money...along with a tin of maple syrup...all the better.

A SATISFYING ENDING

Anyone, regardless of whom they were rooting for, who watched Sunday's US - Canada hockey gold medal game got more than their money's worth. Our son watched at university in Minnesota, surrounded by American partisans as he cheered for Canada. I watched in Ottawa, cheering for the Americans...while surrounded by my spouse and our dog Tashi (who always takes Karen's side.) When the US tied it 2 - 2 and I cheered, I was accused of being a Benedict Arnold (which might have made sense if Benedict Arnold had switched from the British to the American side, instead of vice-versa, but never mind). Overtime -- Karen and I had seen this movie before - we were actually at the 1994 Canada- Sweden gold medal game in Lillehammer, where the Swedes won in a shoot-out.  And I must say, in the end, I was happy to see Canada prevail, in no small part because of the way they played in overtime - full-out, going for the win and risking the loss. In 1994 the team seemed willing to take their chances with a shoot-out-not so this time. And good on them!   

AND FINALLY...

Now that the Olympics are over, do you think we'll ever see any of those celebrities in Canada again? Or Stephen Harper?

(The views expressed are solely those of the author, who is responsible for any errors, omissions or misconceptions. This newsletter may be cascaded far and wide as it is a marketing tool of Waite + Co. And, for a limited time only, anyone signing up for Waite + Co. services will receive a free tin of maple syrup. Real friendship will entail an additional fee.)   

WEEKLY WAITE-O-GRAM (RELEASE 3.0)

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF CEOs
 
So you're a new CEO. Or you want to be a CEO when you grow up. Or maybe you just want to know what life is like at the top of the corporate food chain. The truth is, life on the other side of the high-tech security barrier is actually not that different from anywhere else. Once you put aside the unending deference... the perks...and the eye-popping compensation. Not willing to put those aside? In the immortal words of Tiger Woods...you will probably be a less than successful Buddhist. But I digress: The important point is that there are actually a lot of ways to be successful-- or fail-- as a CEO. Over the next several months, based on 30 years of observation of executive behaviour...a review of the literature...and interviews with disgruntled employees and spouses... I have developed what I call "The Seven Deadly Sins...of CEOs." 

JUST TO BE CLEAR...
 
OK, full disclosure. None of these "sins" is actually deadly. As in dying deadly. But they can be fatal. And let's face it...once you are CEO...not being CEO feels a lot like death. Without the flowers and kind words.
 
SIN NUMBER ONE: CEO HUBRIS
 
Sorry about the Latin, but here's the deal: The moment you are named CEO, everything changes. Your jokes are funnier. The arching of your eyebrow...means something. Your favorite sport...or charity...or TV program...becomes every one's favorite. You like "House"? Or "Battlestar Gallatica"? If you work for a large corporation, you can actually personally nudge ratings up nationally... by simply mentioning this. Why does this happen? Because 75% of the employees of any given company actually don't really care about who the CEO is... but they do care about keeping their jobs. This number rises to closer to 90% among the cadre of support staff at the top... who typically bend to the whims of the company's leaders...like a bonsai tree bends to its wire constraints.
 
WHAT'S A CEO TO DO?
 
So let's say you get this -- that maybe you're not the funniest guy or gal since Dave Letterman or Mary Walsh...and that not everyone actually shares your passion for the Nauga Protection Society...as your pet charity (despite the fact that those poor nauga's are giving up their hides at an alarming rate.)  What can you do about this? How to you stay in touch with reality? There are two separate, but supportive, approaches.
 
THEY KNEW YOU WHEN
 
First, stay in touch with old friends and family. Yes, I know... they do not understand the pressures you are under or the obligations entailed in your new position. This is actually a good thing. Yes, they can recall when you were a goof. This is also good -- it reminds you that we were all goofs at one point (and that most of those who weren't back in high school...flamed out long ago.)  Siblings can be especially useful. If at all possible, stay married to your spouse. Nothing can take a CEO away from reality faster or further than a trophy husband or wife.  
 
NEVER FLY SOLO
 
So keep grounded from the outside. But it is also important to keep your feet on the ground within the company as well. If you are a new-to-the-firm CEO, be sure to bring one or two people in with you whom you implicitly trust to tell you exactly what they think. About you, and others. Hopefully they will do this behind closed doors, and not in front of your entire executive team-- but the point is, you need a trusted advisor or two as a reality check. Lou Gerstner, when he took the reins at IBM in the early 1990's, arrived with a communications guy, David Kallis; a marketing gal, Abby Kohnstamm, and a CFO, Gerry York. They had his back...but they also had his ear. Gerstner balanced incumbent IBMers with these outsiders and together they found the formula for renewing an American icon.
 
IF YOU MAKE IT HERE...
 
In a future Gram I will talk at length about CEO speeches. It has been written that CEOs, when surveyed, say they would rather face a firing squad than give a speech. While I am not sure why they view these as their only alternatives, my experience is that many CEOs are not all that crazy about getting up in front of an audience. On the other hand, some love it. My first corporate job, after working as Bob Dole's press secretary, was as speechwriter to the Chairman and CEO of IBM World Trade in New York, a fellow named Ralph A. Pfeiffer, Jr. I didn't know it at the time... but Ralph went through speech writers faster than figure skaters go through tissues while waiting for their scores. The big problem, I found out, was that Ralph thought he was funny. And if he was... that it was due to his talents. If he wasn't...it was due to his speech writer.
 
HE WAS EVEN FUNNIER IN ALBANIAN   
 
As it happened, my first Ralph speech of any consequence was intended for an audience of Japanese IBMers... attending a recognition event in Hawaii. Japanese audiences had been the Sable Island of Ralph's speech writers... each of my predecesors had crashed onto the rocks, never to be seen (or heard from) again. This was not a big surprise -- unlike North Americans, the Japanese have no cultural tradition of a joke at the start of a speech...and the thought of laughing in the presence of a CEO was unthinkable. Fortunately, a fellow communications type, John Milhalik, decided I was an OK guy...and should be allowed to survive more than 30 days. Together with the head of IBM Japan Communications, Shigeo-san, we devised a plan. I would write a joke into the front end of the speech... and mark down carefully on Shigeo's copy of the text where the punchline was. He then rehearsed laughing with the 200 or so attendees... by turning around in his front row seat.. and gestering with his hands...and a big smile. Sure enough...Ralph gave the speech...the Japanese roared and rolled on the floor...and I was declared speech writer for life. Or at least for another 30 days.
 
REAGAN: FUNNY. ALEXANDER HAIG? NOT SO MUCH
 
My only point here is be careful with humour and never, ever force it. Know your audience...and hope they know enough about you to judge the intent of your humour. Even Bob Dole, widely considered one of the funniest men in US politics, sometimes crossed the line. For example, he would invariably say when introducing Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee (who was 5' 4"... and not very happy about it), "Stand up, Howard, so people can see you," and then follow on with, "Sorry, Howard, I now realise that you already ARE standing." It always got a laugh... but did not endear (something my counterpart, Baker press secretary Tom Griscom, an old university chum, never failed to remind me.)  So don't feel obligated to be funny... and if you have to be...aim the barbs at yourself, not others.

 
A HOUSE DIVIDED
 
The e-mails were flying over the weekend from Waite abodes on both sides of the border as we watched the USA-Canada Olympic hockey game. And yes, there was a bit of wagering -- those supporting the losing side had agree to plan, prepare and clean up a full-scale dinner for the victors at Camp Wiyaka in New Hampshire during the annual family get-together next summer. I'm thinking Chinese take-out might be a good option. Or a double-or-nothing rematch in the medal round...

 
(This blog may be cascaded to others should you wish, as it is a blatant marketing ploy to get the name of Waite + Co. in front of many people as possible with the least cost. The views expressed are entirely those of the author, who accepts full responsibility for any errors, omissions or exagerations. The name of the IBM Japan Director of Communications has been altered to protect him from the ghost of Ralph A. Pfeiffer...and the current Chair and CEO of Waite + Co., Karen Shigeishi-Waite.)          
--
Robert E. Waite
Managing Partner
Waite + Co.
25 Grange Avenue
Toronto, ON M5T 1C6
1-613-797-6141
1-416-703-3992 x310
www.waiteandcompany.com