Checking Out the CEO Before Taking a Job

5. All-Knowing Guide

Then, there are those at the top who act as if having all the answers is the way to demonstrate their competence. When making appropriate decisions depends on data-support, they lean on “going with their gut,” which Annie Duke, a former professional poker player, says in a Knowledge@Wharton conversation, “Your gut is not a decision tool. It’s not reliable, no matter how reliable you think it is.”

6. Indecisive Decision Maker

This executive’s indecisiveness drives everyone nuts. As plans are left up in the air, the pressure builds. It isn’t until circumstances force the issue that decisions are made, leaving everyone scrambling to get the job done. The pattern is permanent and people eventually leave.

7. Phony Optimism

There are two options when something goes wrong, be transparent or cover it up. The former works, while the latter doesn’t. Even so, some chief executives put a happy face on anything they perceive to be negative or troublesome. They do it for one reason; they don’t believe people can pull together and solve problems in crises. Rather than allaying fears, fake optimism only creates distrust, confusion, and low morale.

8. Self-Serving Self-View

There are top executives whose picture of what it means to be in their position requires exaggerating their expertise, knowledge, and skills, while undervaluing those same assets in those around them. It should also be pointed out that they have difficulty retaining talented employees.

The Ninth CEO Scenario

All this may come across as overly critical. If your goal is landing a job, it’s easy to justify or ignore a top person’s “limitations.” Even so, the eight “CEO scenarios” come with a warning: “Be careful! May be harmful to your career.”

All of this begs the question, “What should you be looking for in a CEO?” If you’re diligent or lucky, you may find a number one whose attitudes and ideas will advance and grow your career. That is to say, someone who really “sees” you. While no profile of such a CEO is ever final or complete, here are some attributes to look for:

• Has a nurturing and forward-thinking attitude.
• Takes others and their ideas seriously.
• Views employees, customers, suppliers, the larger community, and not just investors, among the company’s stakeholders.
• Possesses an inquiring mind, asks questions and listens intently.
• Values diverse views and understands improvement comes from dialogue.

In a Harvard Business Review article, Walt Rakowich tells of meeting with his team at the company he had founded four years earlier. In the depths of the Great Recession, they faced bankruptcy, and everyone there looked to him for an answer. With head spinning, he left the room, sat down alone to get his bearings.

Going back to the meeting, he didn’t know what to say — except this: “I don’t know what to do” and “I need your help.” What happened next, he says, was amazing. His colleagues gave him a remarkable response. In effect, they let him know they were with him — “We’ll figure it out.” And, as you might guess, they did.

Walt may be the type of CEO worth looking for. If you find one who comes close, take the job.

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John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. He is the creator of “Magnet Marketing” and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas.”