Effective CEOs spend more time on less things

An article in the New York Times caught my eye today. Entitled "How to be an Effective CEO", it is a good reminder of timeless advice that need to be brought from "the back of the mind to the front of the mind."

Basically, a CEO needs to spend more time on less things. The most consistent "thing" among the few things is PEOPLE. Hire the right people to do the things that CEO should not spend his time on, spend time with good people, and counsel people who need improvement.

The article talks about 2 timeless classics, Peter Drucker and Steven Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Peter Drucker's advice to CEO:

(1) Find time for uninterupted work.

(2) Spend time on people

(3) Focus on allocating resources

(4) Focus on strengths rather than managing weaknesses.

Steven Covey's 7 Habits:

(1) Be proactive

(2) Begin with the end in mind

(3) Put First thing first

(4) Think win/ win

(5) Seek first to understand, then be understood

(6) Synergise

(7) Sharpen the saw

These are not new concepts, but important reminders for leaders leading others through change and challenging times.

Another important point that my chairman recently reminded us, "Work in Quadrant 2" - Work that are important but not urgent. He is really talking about spending time "Planning" and not fighting fire all the time. In fact, if we plan well, we will fight less fire! How true. The book "The Living Company" is really a great book about planning for the future...

Let's not get carried away, while we plan for tomorrow...Let's LIVE today!