George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker Listen to Business in Motion audio PodCasts On iTunes Business in Motion on Facebook
Showing posts with label CEO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CEO. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Jim Estill, CEO of Danby Appliances - video
George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker Listen to Business in Motion audio PodCasts On iTunes Business in Motion on Facebook
Friday, March 08, 2013
Alan McLaren, Infinity Communications, interview
 | |
| Alan McLaren |
Who is Infinity Communications?
Infinity is a full service communications agency specializing in public relations, branding and social media strategies. We help our clients “Get Noticed and Stay Noticed”, through focused communication programs designed to build brand awareness and drive revenue growth.
One of the best ways to reach your target audiences is to use a combination of traditional public relations strategies offline, while leveraging social media and web strategies online.
We are living in a connected world and it is important to bridge the conversation both online and offline.
———————————————
Insights and excerpts from this interview with Alan McLaren of Infinity Communications
- Purpose of marketing is building the brand to be top of mind
- Common mistake on the web is not connecting the dots
- Key question is, does more traffic mean more business? That is the bottom line
- Marketing is not scientific. One plus one does not equal two
- Half the time, we turn prospective clients away because the fit is not right
- Red Flag Deals was one of our proud success stories
- I hate doing the numbers – but you need to do that
- As Co-CEOs we each have our strengths and defined roles
Interview on Business in Motion with radio show host George Torok
Listen to this interview
Listen to this interview on iTunes
Listen to more interviews on Business in Motion
George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
Listen to Business in Motion audio PodCasts On iTunes Business in Motion on Facebook
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Execution Businesses
by Jim Estill
Some
businesses have such barriers to entry and such competitive advantage that they
can still thrive even with poor execution. Companies that have patents,
government regulation, rocket science(very tough intellectual property to copy)
, massive development costs to get into the business, high capital cost, high
market share etc.
EMJ was an execution business. It was simply not that hard for anyone to get a product line to distribute. Over time we were able to grow to create barriers to entry with things like size, having the "good" lines, and having market share within a niche but in the end, it was always still an execution business. It can be fatal for an entrepreneur not to realize that their business is an execution business. Ask - is it really that tough for someone to copy what we do? If the answer is no then follow these steps for success: 9 Ways to Thrive in an Execution Business 1 - Be frugal. Frugal does not mean cheap, it means getting appropriate value for money spent. Spend on function, not on show. 2 - Focus on process. The key is to create replicable steps that can be repeated time after time. As an early entrepreneur, often this means trying it yourself. Time how long it takes to make 10 calls. Track which message gets the most meetings. Refine and learn. 3 - Test everything. Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap. This is a continuation of Focus on Process. 4 - Look for areas of minor competitive advantage. Really that is what execution businesses are all about. Although they may lack the monopoly or defacto monopoly characteristics of other businesses, they can have minor advantages in many different small areas. If I look at why EMJ was a success, it was not one thing, it was a number of tiny things. 5 - Know your numbers. By nature, execution businesses have small margins for error. Competition ensures that there are few "high profit" opportunities. So knowing what areas make and lose money and knowing true costs is essential. 6 - Look for niches. Often execution businesses can develop competencies within a specific expertise. Within a niche, it is easier to be the expert - less to study, less people with your focus. It is also easier to figure out ways to thrive and customize your company to address only those specific things the niche needs. 7 - Work hard. We worked long and hard year after year. My work ethic was a competitive advantage. 8 - Take full responsibility. It does not matter if the economy is good or bad, if China is selling for X, if the US$ is trading at Y, or "the VP sales cannot sell well enough" or any other "condition". Those are just conditions. We live with them and figure out how to be profitable. There are no excuses - if we fail, we are the ones that did not execute well so we need to change our product, our approach, our tactics and anything else. 9 - Study and practice time management. I think that is why I ended up writing a book on time management. This is really an extension of Be Frugal. Time is the biggest cost so get the best value from it possible.  |
---------------------------
I'm impressed and inspired by the practical and powerful advise Jim continues to offer of how to build your business success.
Learn more about Jim Estill at his CEO Blog - Time Leadership
George Torok Host of Business in Motion Business Speaker
Listen to Business in Motion audio PodCasts On iTunes Business in Motion on Facebook
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Murray Hogarth, Pioneer gas stations
Interview with Murray Hogarth, Executive Chairman of Pioneer Petroleums, President and CEO of the Pioneer Group
Murray Hogarth launched the first Pioneer gas station in 1956. Today there are more than 150 Pioneer gas stations across Ontario.
Pioneer donates 1% of profits – not revenue to charity.
Murray Hogarth was instrumental in the formation of CAFE – the Canadian Association of Family Enterprises.
Pioneer is the largest independant gas station chain.
Murray Hogarth was voted the Entrepreneur of the Year by the Burlington Economic
Development Corporation for 2010.
——————–
Insights from this interview:
“We wanted to beat the major oil companies at their game.”
“In the existing model, the customer was an interruption and the employee approached the customer with a bad attitude.”
“We introduced the first loyalty program – bonus bucks.”
“Where do you get innovative ideas? Listen to what your customer wants.”
“You have to have drive and a vision.”
“Insulate yourself from the risk.”
Listen to this radio interview
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
Canadian Business Speaker
Murray Hogarth launched the first Pioneer gas station in 1956. Today there are more than 150 Pioneer gas stations across Ontario.
Pioneer donates 1% of profits – not revenue to charity.
Murray Hogarth was instrumental in the formation of CAFE – the Canadian Association of Family Enterprises.
Pioneer is the largest independant gas station chain.
Murray Hogarth was voted the Entrepreneur of the Year by the Burlington Economic
Development Corporation for 2010.
——————–
Insights from this interview:
“We wanted to beat the major oil companies at their game.”
“In the existing model, the customer was an interruption and the employee approached the customer with a bad attitude.”
“We introduced the first loyalty program – bonus bucks.”
“Where do you get innovative ideas? Listen to what your customer wants.”
“You have to have drive and a vision.”
“Insulate yourself from the risk.”
Listen to this radio interview
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
Canadian Business Speaker
Friday, October 01, 2010
Walter Booth Radio Interview
Audio interview with Walter Booth, Chairman of The Timberland Group
Walter Booth started at Timberland as a young Project Engineer more than 40 years ago. He rose to the rank of President, bought the company, sold the company and is now Chairman. He is an engineering graduate of McMaster University. He has donated at least $3 Million to the Faculty of Engineering.
The Timberland Group grew signifcantly during those years. Originally a company that manufactured winches for the logging industry, they now provide special winches and hoists for mining, power distribution, underwater exploration and off-shore oil.
———————————–
Insights from this 30-minute interview with Walter Booth:
“The business still excites me after 40 years.”
“They hired me because I had experience in the ski lift business.”
“Buying the company – we worked on that deal for at least a year. You want it to move faster
but it just took longer.”
“My boss encouraged me to join the Young Presidents Organization. I got to hang around successful business owners.”
“As chairman my chief role is mentoring and developing the new owners.”
"You have to bend the rules if you want success.”
Listen to the radio interview with Walter Booth
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
Canadian Business Speaker
Business in Motion Podcasts
Business in Motion on iTunes
Walter Booth started at Timberland as a young Project Engineer more than 40 years ago. He rose to the rank of President, bought the company, sold the company and is now Chairman. He is an engineering graduate of McMaster University. He has donated at least $3 Million to the Faculty of Engineering.
The Timberland Group grew signifcantly during those years. Originally a company that manufactured winches for the logging industry, they now provide special winches and hoists for mining, power distribution, underwater exploration and off-shore oil.
———————————–
Insights from this 30-minute interview with Walter Booth:
“The business still excites me after 40 years.”
“They hired me because I had experience in the ski lift business.”
“Buying the company – we worked on that deal for at least a year. You want it to move faster
but it just took longer.”
“My boss encouraged me to join the Young Presidents Organization. I got to hang around successful business owners.”
“As chairman my chief role is mentoring and developing the new owners.”
"You have to bend the rules if you want success.”
Listen to the radio interview with Walter Booth
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
Canadian Business Speaker
Business in Motion Podcasts
Business in Motion on iTunes
Sunday, May 02, 2010
TEC Canada Speaker
George Torok is an approved speaker for TEC Canada and has been since 2000. George is also a TEC Associate/ Trusted Advisor. He is a member of TA group 9226 based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The chair of the group is Larry Bourk.
George Torok has spoken to TEC groups across Canada from BC to Halifax, NS and many stops in between.
He presents on three topics - Power Marketing, Presentation Skills and Creative Problem Solving.
The Executive Committee, (TEC) founded in 1957 is dedicated to "Increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of Chief Executives."
TEC provided both peer advise and individual coaching to presidents, CEOs and owners of medium sized business, (sales of $10M to $200M).
Read more about:
TEC Canada
George Torok TEC Speaker
Power Marketing
Presentation Skills
Creative Problem Solving
George Torok has spoken to TEC groups across Canada from BC to Halifax, NS and many stops in between.
He presents on three topics - Power Marketing, Presentation Skills and Creative Problem Solving.
The Executive Committee, (TEC) founded in 1957 is dedicated to "Increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of Chief Executives."
TEC provided both peer advise and individual coaching to presidents, CEOs and owners of medium sized business, (sales of $10M to $200M).
Read more about:
TEC Canada
George Torok TEC Speaker
Power Marketing
Presentation Skills
Creative Problem Solving
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
CEO Conversation with Ursula Burns, CEO, Xerox
Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox talks with Spelman college about global leadership.
George Torok
George Torok
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Are You Galvanized or Paralyzed?
By Jim Estill
These are uncertain times. Many people and companies are facing hardship. This is a world of great economic turbulence. This turbulence has two effects on people - it can paralyze them so they do nothing and simply retreat into their shell and "complain" how harsh the world is to them. In others, it galvanizes them to take action.
The current conditions just are. Accept them. Use the harshness to create energy and action.
Not all actions are the right actions but taking some action is much healthier than not. This is a good time to "Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap". Try new things. Some will work, others might not. To fail is not to be a failure, to not try is to be a failure.
-----------------
Read the rest of this article at Canadian Marketing blog.
Read Jim Estill's CEO Blog - Time Leadership.
Jim Estill was a guest of the Business in Motion Radio show.
George Torok
These are uncertain times. Many people and companies are facing hardship. This is a world of great economic turbulence. This turbulence has two effects on people - it can paralyze them so they do nothing and simply retreat into their shell and "complain" how harsh the world is to them. In others, it galvanizes them to take action.
The current conditions just are. Accept them. Use the harshness to create energy and action.
Not all actions are the right actions but taking some action is much healthier than not. This is a good time to "Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap". Try new things. Some will work, others might not. To fail is not to be a failure, to not try is to be a failure.
-----------------
Read the rest of this article at Canadian Marketing blog.
Read Jim Estill's CEO Blog - Time Leadership.
Jim Estill was a guest of the Business in Motion Radio show.
George Torok
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Resilience: New Blog
Resilience: New Blog
Sharon Bar-David has a new blog on the topic of resilience in the workplace.
I found this excerpt from a recent post on her blog particularly grabbing.
----------------
Resilience, according to one definition, is ‘The ability to recover quickly from setbacks’. Clearly, the execs in the study demonstrated superb resilience. The problem for most ordinary folks, however, is that they let their fear of the world ‘out there’ drive their actions. They fret that they may not survive if they ever lost their current position and this serves as a deterrent from taking proactive action. I have seen, in the course of my change-related workshops, many a good people staying long after they needed to leave, or fearing to speak up solely due to their horror of what may happen and their lack of trust in their own resilience.So yes, resilience is key: nurturing our resilience, believing in it, trusting in it.
----------------
How resilient are you – and what do you do to build and maintain your resilience?
Because there is one thing you can count on – that is change. And not always the change that you anticipate.
George Torok
Business in Motion
Sharon Bar-David has a new blog on the topic of resilience in the workplace.
I found this excerpt from a recent post on her blog particularly grabbing.
----------------
Resilience, according to one definition, is ‘The ability to recover quickly from setbacks’. Clearly, the execs in the study demonstrated superb resilience. The problem for most ordinary folks, however, is that they let their fear of the world ‘out there’ drive their actions. They fret that they may not survive if they ever lost their current position and this serves as a deterrent from taking proactive action. I have seen, in the course of my change-related workshops, many a good people staying long after they needed to leave, or fearing to speak up solely due to their horror of what may happen and their lack of trust in their own resilience.So yes, resilience is key: nurturing our resilience, believing in it, trusting in it.
----------------
How resilient are you – and what do you do to build and maintain your resilience?
Because there is one thing you can count on – that is change. And not always the change that you anticipate.
George Torok
Business in Motion
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Ask Good Questions
The best CEOs and leaders ask good questions – then they listen.
Try that.
Ask a good question – then shut up.
George Torok, host
Business In Motion
Try that.
Ask a good question – then shut up.
George Torok, host
Business In Motion
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Lifelong Learning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_education
The best leaders, business owners and CEOs are lifelong learners.
Are you a lifelong learner? Ask anybody that question and they will probably say “yes”. Very few want to admit that they are not lifelong learners. But only some of them are telling the truth. So how do you know if you are really a lifelong learner?
A real learner astonishes himself at what he just learned – at how clueless he was before. A real learner is willing to ask questions then listen without prejudice.
I heard Alan Weiss say, “I am constantly amazed at how stupid I was two weeks ago.”
Alan Weiss is a high priced consultant and author of many books including “Million Dollar Consulting”. His website, Summit Consulting, is packed with powerful business insights.
My point is: Here is a man who has been very successful and still admits that two weeks ago he was stupid.
If you cannot admit that you were stupid, misinformed or wrong recently – then you are not learning. You might be stuck in the rut of believing that you already know everything.
If you are a lifelong learner:
What have you learned today?
How have you changed your perspective this week?
What new actions have you taken this month?
Are you a lifelong learner?
George Torok, host
Business In Motion
The best leaders, business owners and CEOs are lifelong learners.
Are you a lifelong learner? Ask anybody that question and they will probably say “yes”. Very few want to admit that they are not lifelong learners. But only some of them are telling the truth. So how do you know if you are really a lifelong learner?
A real learner astonishes himself at what he just learned – at how clueless he was before. A real learner is willing to ask questions then listen without prejudice.
I heard Alan Weiss say, “I am constantly amazed at how stupid I was two weeks ago.”
Alan Weiss is a high priced consultant and author of many books including “Million Dollar Consulting”. His website, Summit Consulting, is packed with powerful business insights.
My point is: Here is a man who has been very successful and still admits that two weeks ago he was stupid.
If you cannot admit that you were stupid, misinformed or wrong recently – then you are not learning. You might be stuck in the rut of believing that you already know everything.
If you are a lifelong learner:
What have you learned today?
How have you changed your perspective this week?
What new actions have you taken this month?
Are you a lifelong learner?
George Torok, host
Business In Motion
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Inside the minds of CEO’s
What does Lloyd Frink of Zillow.com, Reed Hastings of Neflix, Scott Heiferman of Meetup.com, Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn, Bob Parsons of GoDaddy.com and Jimmy Wales of WikiPedia have in common?
Yes – they are all CEO’s of Internet based companies. And they are all featured in interviews on nPost.com – a new site that includes well over 100 interviews with CEO’s and entrepreneurs.
Many of the interviews are with the company founder. The interviews focus on their insights, experiences, competitive environment and hiring practices.
Nathan Kaiser provides a fascinating discovery into the minds of successful entrepreneurs. He offers an impressive array of interviews and insights.
Check out http://www.npost.com/
George Torok, host
Business In Motion
Yes – they are all CEO’s of Internet based companies. And they are all featured in interviews on nPost.com – a new site that includes well over 100 interviews with CEO’s and entrepreneurs.
Many of the interviews are with the company founder. The interviews focus on their insights, experiences, competitive environment and hiring practices.
Nathan Kaiser provides a fascinating discovery into the minds of successful entrepreneurs. He offers an impressive array of interviews and insights.
Check out http://www.npost.com/
George Torok, host
Business In Motion
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
TEC
What is TEC?
TEC is The Executive Committee.
TEC is a peer mentoring group for CEOs and presidents of mid sized businesses.
If you are the CEO or President of a midsized business you might check this out.
TEC is built on the principle that the role of CEO can be the loneliest position in the business. The CEO can’t just ask staff for advice on sensitive issues. The CEO needs to talk with other CEOs.
TEC provides that forum for the CEO.
It is not perfect but it provides the best model that I have come across.
TEC started in 1957 in the USA and has since grown.
From the main website…
“Since its founding in 1957, Vistage has continued to expand globally – nearly doubling in size every five years. The Vistage family of companies includes our affiliates operating under the names TEC, The Executive Committee and The Executive Connection. Vistage International and its affiliates have more than 12,000 members in 15 countries representing the world's largest CEO membership organization based on revenue.”
TEC
TEC Canada
The Executive Committee
The Executive Connection
Vistage International
George Torok is a TEC speaker and has presented to over 20 TEC groups.
Read what the members of those TEC groups said about George Torok.
George Torok
TEC Speaker
TEC Resource
TEC Associate
TEC is The Executive Committee.
TEC is a peer mentoring group for CEOs and presidents of mid sized businesses.
If you are the CEO or President of a midsized business you might check this out.
TEC is built on the principle that the role of CEO can be the loneliest position in the business. The CEO can’t just ask staff for advice on sensitive issues. The CEO needs to talk with other CEOs.
TEC provides that forum for the CEO.
It is not perfect but it provides the best model that I have come across.
TEC started in 1957 in the USA and has since grown.
From the main website…
“Since its founding in 1957, Vistage has continued to expand globally – nearly doubling in size every five years. The Vistage family of companies includes our affiliates operating under the names TEC, The Executive Committee and The Executive Connection. Vistage International and its affiliates have more than 12,000 members in 15 countries representing the world's largest CEO membership organization based on revenue.”
TEC
TEC Canada
The Executive Committee
The Executive Connection
Vistage International
George Torok is a TEC speaker and has presented to over 20 TEC groups.
Read what the members of those TEC groups said about George Torok.
George Torok
TEC Speaker
TEC Resource
TEC Associate
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Continuous Learning
The best entrepreneurs and the most successful CEOs are constantly learning. They are reading books, magazines or newsletters. They are questioning themselves and others about them. They are building and maintaining contact with other CEOs and colleagues. They are continually looking for smarter people to connect with.
“I am constantly amazed at how stupid I was two weeks ago.”
Alan Weiss
Imagine how much and fast you are learning if you can admit to that statement. What do you know today that you did not know two weeks, two months or two years ago? If the answer is nothing – imagine what you might have missed.
What are you doing to be a continuous learner?
What are you doing to connect with smarter people?
What are you doing to learn more today than you know yesterday?
“A wise man can learn from a fool. A fool can learn from no one.”
Peter Urs Bender
George Torok
Business in Motion
“I am constantly amazed at how stupid I was two weeks ago.”
Alan Weiss
Imagine how much and fast you are learning if you can admit to that statement. What do you know today that you did not know two weeks, two months or two years ago? If the answer is nothing – imagine what you might have missed.
What are you doing to be a continuous learner?
What are you doing to connect with smarter people?
What are you doing to learn more today than you know yesterday?
“A wise man can learn from a fool. A fool can learn from no one.”
Peter Urs Bender
George Torok
Business in Motion
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Smart leaders read books
“I won’t read.”
I was shocked. And the people around me were too.
This was a meeting of presidents and CEOs who wanted to grow.
They were invited to a special meeting to hear me speak on marketing insights and hear about how they might grow as individuals, and as business leaders.
This person won the draw for a copy of my book. It really doesn’t matter what book it was. What is significant is that he clearly stated, “ I won’t read this book. I don’t read books.”
What is the difference between one who can’t read and one who won’t read?
Nothing. They are both ignorant.
What good is a leader who chooses not to learn?
The next time you are choosing a leader you might ask her, “What books have you read on leadership lately?”
It doesn’t matter what the book was. It matters only that she believes in learning.
If the response is – “Oh, I don’t have time to read books” - watch out. This person believes they already know everything.
One CEO told me, “Everything I need to know is in the bookstore. So I buy and read lots of books to stay ahead of the competition who are too lazy to read.”
George Torok
Business in Motion
PS: When you hire people – ask them about the last book they read on their area of expertise.
PPS: You cannot afford not to read.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Bill Gates’ Secret Weapon: Think
Bill Gates stops to think at least twice a year. Bill escapes to his wilderness lodge every six months for one week. It is during these times that he develops strategy for Microsoft. It was one of these thinking sessions that helped him to move his company to embrace the Internet and the related opportunities.
How often do you stop to think? Really think - about your business, about your future, about your life? You should invest at least one day every three months thinking. Try it – one out of 90 days thinking. That is only four days a year thinking. That is not a lot to ask. But imagine how much more that would be than your competition.
Schedule that undisturbed time to think. What could be more important than thinking? Yet we too often are too busy doing stuff without thinking. Your business will survive and thrive only if you think. Your life will be more satisfying if you think.
You might say that Bill Gates has time to think because he is the richest guy in the world. The reality is just that - he is the richest guy in the world – because he takes time to think.
What questions might you ask during these thinking sessions?
What business are you in?
Where is the industry going?
What trends do you see?
What threatens your business?
What are the unknowns?
How can you distinguish yourself from the competition?
What other questions should you be asking?
What issues/decisions are you avoiding that you need to confront?
Think
George Torok
Specialist in thinking and communication skills
http://www.torok.com/
Bill Gates' Web Site
http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/default.asp
William Gates III on Forbes World’s Richest People
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/BH69.html
Bill Gates' Personal Wealth Clock
http://philip.greenspun.com/WealthClock
How often do you stop to think? Really think - about your business, about your future, about your life? You should invest at least one day every three months thinking. Try it – one out of 90 days thinking. That is only four days a year thinking. That is not a lot to ask. But imagine how much more that would be than your competition.
Schedule that undisturbed time to think. What could be more important than thinking? Yet we too often are too busy doing stuff without thinking. Your business will survive and thrive only if you think. Your life will be more satisfying if you think.
You might say that Bill Gates has time to think because he is the richest guy in the world. The reality is just that - he is the richest guy in the world – because he takes time to think.
What questions might you ask during these thinking sessions?
What business are you in?
Where is the industry going?
What trends do you see?
What threatens your business?
What are the unknowns?
How can you distinguish yourself from the competition?
What other questions should you be asking?
What issues/decisions are you avoiding that you need to confront?
Think
George Torok
Specialist in thinking and communication skills
http://www.torok.com/
Bill Gates' Web Site
http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/default.asp
William Gates III on Forbes World’s Richest People
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/BH69.html
Bill Gates' Personal Wealth Clock
http://philip.greenspun.com/WealthClock
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Why Should Your CEO be a public figure?
Have you noticed that some CEOs talk to you and some hide?
It doesn’t matter why they do that. Because you and I will come to our own conclusions. Whether those conclusions are right or wrong doesn’t matter. If they are our conclusions we will believe they are right. If you are hiding – it must be for a reason.
So, why should the CEO of your organization be a public figure?
Because we trust more what we see. Look what Lee Iacocca did for Chrysler. Do you have any idea who is head of Chrysler today? Or GM or Ford? Bet you know who heads Microsoft or Dell.
The more we see the CEO the more likely we trust you and your organization.
So how can you make the CEO more public – and likeable?
Publish the name, bio and photo of your CEO on your website.
Provide contact information for the CEO on your website. The CEO doesn’t need to answer personally. Just provide the contact information and procedures on how to handle the correspondence.
The CEO should talk to staff regularly and, depending on the size of the company, in person, by email, video, teleconference or blog.
Ensure all staff knows the name of the CEO and authorize them to give out the name. (Yes I have called very big companies where the front line staff told me they are not allowed to give out that information.)
The CEO should be well trained in how to talk to the media. And the CEO should talk to the media whenever they call. The CEO should never respond with “No Comment”. The CEO should issue news releases regularly.
The CEO should speak at industry events as a speaker, panelist or topic expert.
Most importantly a good CEO should talk to customers – often.
The CEO should answer calls or correspondence from customers - both happy and unhappy. The CEO should periodically initiate conversation with customers.
Just imagine the power of customers exclaiming, “Wow the CEO talked to me”.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
How to make your CEO a better public speaker?
Visit Speech Coach for Executives
It doesn’t matter why they do that. Because you and I will come to our own conclusions. Whether those conclusions are right or wrong doesn’t matter. If they are our conclusions we will believe they are right. If you are hiding – it must be for a reason.
So, why should the CEO of your organization be a public figure?
Because we trust more what we see. Look what Lee Iacocca did for Chrysler. Do you have any idea who is head of Chrysler today? Or GM or Ford? Bet you know who heads Microsoft or Dell.
The more we see the CEO the more likely we trust you and your organization.
So how can you make the CEO more public – and likeable?
Publish the name, bio and photo of your CEO on your website.
Provide contact information for the CEO on your website. The CEO doesn’t need to answer personally. Just provide the contact information and procedures on how to handle the correspondence.
The CEO should talk to staff regularly and, depending on the size of the company, in person, by email, video, teleconference or blog.
Ensure all staff knows the name of the CEO and authorize them to give out the name. (Yes I have called very big companies where the front line staff told me they are not allowed to give out that information.)
The CEO should be well trained in how to talk to the media. And the CEO should talk to the media whenever they call. The CEO should never respond with “No Comment”. The CEO should issue news releases regularly.
The CEO should speak at industry events as a speaker, panelist or topic expert.
Most importantly a good CEO should talk to customers – often.
The CEO should answer calls or correspondence from customers - both happy and unhappy. The CEO should periodically initiate conversation with customers.
Just imagine the power of customers exclaiming, “Wow the CEO talked to me”.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
How to make your CEO a better public speaker?
Visit Speech Coach for Executives
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