Texas CEO Magazine is relaunching in January 2020, with a focus on becoming the preeminent resource for CEOs in Texas. Each quarter, we’ll publish articles that help CEOs be the best that they can be.
An organization is nothing without great, talented employees—and the CEO leads the way in bringing that talent on board. This week, Joel talks about mastering the continuous process of recruiting, and how that’s very different from basic “hiring.” Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
In previous episodes, we’ve discussed the three tools of the CEO: management, leadership, and coaching. This week, Joel discusses common mistakes leaders make when using that third—and most often neglected—tool, coaching. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
In the previous episode, we’ve discussed the management tool. This week, Joel discusses common mistakes leaders make when using the Leadership tool, and how to use the three C’s to influence your team. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
In the previous episode, we’ve discussed the three tools of the CEO: management, leadership, and coaching. This week, Joel discusses common mistakes leaders make when using the management tool. It’s often looked upon as somehow less interesting or important than the other tools—though that’s definitely not the case. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
We often think of CEOs as being nearly all-powerful within the organization . . . but that’s definitely not the case. The CEO bears great responsibility while exercising less direct control than most people think. This week, Joel discusses how to manage this unique situation. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
How does a CEO tell if they’re performing well in their role? It’s not an easy question, given how complex the job is. This week, Joel offers three signs that typically show up when a CEO is doing an effective job of managing and leading the organization. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
When it comes time to give critical or corrective feedback to an employee, most managers—including CEOs—shy away from having a fully honest conversation. This week, Joel discusses the importance of giving good feedback to the people who work for you, even when it’s uncomfortable. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
In any business, there are all kinds of unique challenges the CEO is called upon to handle. But at the emotional level, the struggles of the CEO are common and predictable across companies of all sizes, industries, and geographies. This week, Joel walks through some of those challenges and what they mean for the CEO. … Continue reading Episode 57: The Struggle All CEOs Share →
CEOs are some of the busiest people around. And we live in a culture that celebrates people who are overbooked and constantly occupied. But busy-busy-busy isn’t the best mode for leaders to operate in. Joel discusses why that is—and what to do instead. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
When someone takes on the CEO role for the first time, they often have very little training specific to this one-of-a-kind job. In this episode, Joel discusses what a new CEO can and should expect in their first 100 days as a chief executive. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance
The CEO role is the most visible position in the organization, and it comes with great responsibility. That means that many people feel unqualified when they first take it on. How do you handle that level of responsibility without long experience? Is it possible to “fake it until you make it”? Sponsored by: Texas Mutual … Continue reading Episode 54: Fake It Until You Make It in the CEO Role? →
A successful sale or acquisition requires a support network — the experts and allies who play key roles in the process. And it’s more than just a banker. Joel walks through the professionals and advisors he recommends enlisting before you go through the high-pressure ordeal of an exit transaction. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
With Trump’s tax payments in the news, Joel Trammell looks at some of the intricacies of when and how businesses pay taxes, clarifying some of the common misconceptions. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Buying or selling a house is one of the most complicated transactions many of us have gone through — but acquiring or selling a business is another step up in terms of complexity and time. In this episode, Joel walks you through the timeline of transactions he’s been through, including what happened at each stage. … Continue reading Episode 51: Exit Planning, Part 2: Anatomy of a Deal →
Whole tomes have been written on “change management” in the corporate sphere. While changing how humans think and behave is difficult, the process starts with the CEO addressing some basic questions for the organization. This week, Joel discusses what those questions are and why they form the necessary foundation of lasting collective change. Sponsored by: … Continue reading Episode 49: The Tricky Art of Change Management →
“Vulnerability” has been a buzzword for years, but should the CEO care? When should the CEO disclose their emotions, fears, struggles to people in the organization? And what’s the line between being vulnerable and sharing too much? Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Every business sells a product (or service) into a market. Thus arise three vital groups that form a triangle inside a business: sales, product, and marketing. As each of these divisions operates, natural tensions arise. Guess whose job it is to manage them? That’s right — the CEO. This week, Joel talks about how to … Continue reading Episode 47: The Internal Triangle of Tension →
Human brains are naturally drawn to stories as a primary way of understanding the world around us — and the role we play in it. This week, Joel discusses why CEOs should care about the art of storytelling and how they can use it to manage and lead more effectively. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance … Continue reading Episode 46: The CEO as Chief Storyteller →
How motivated are the employees in your organization? One of the most fundamental mistakes managers make at any level —including the CEO — is misunderstanding how natural human motivation works. In this episode, Joel Trammell discusses the breakthrough theory that reveals how an organization can build authentic motivation across the workforce. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual … Continue reading Episode 45: The Motivation Equation →
When you’re in startup mode, every employee of your company is usually doing hands-on work. But as a company scales up, professional managers are required to coordinate, facilitate, coach, and much more. This week, we pick Joel’s brain about the stage of a business’s growth where professional managers become a necessity. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual … Continue reading Episode 44: Do You Need Full-Time Managers at Your Company? →
As CEO, it’s easy to get so caught up in doing your job that you lose connection with the customers who keep your business running. This week, Joel discusses how CEOs can stay in touch with the customer experience—and why doing so is important. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Personality tests and assessments are popular in many corners of the business world. But are the insights they deliver really useful in a business context? Should CEOs care about their teams’ Myers-Briggs type or CliftonStrengths themes? Hear what Joel has to say about it this week on Ask a CEO. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
As CEO, one of your many responsibilities is directly managing the executive team. This week, Joel discusses the finer points of hiring executives who will make a substantial difference in company performance and culture. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Hiring is not just about the candidate selling themselves to the employer—the employer must also communicate why it offers an environment where talented candidates can thrive and grow. This week, Joel discusses the concept of the “employer value proposition” and why CEOs should understand its effect on bringing in top talent. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual … Continue reading Episode 40: Employee Value Proposition →
Behind nearly every major business catastrophe—from Theranos to scandals involving Wells Fargo and Boeing—is a leader who wasn’t listening to their employees. How can CEOs encourage people to speak up, and how do you know when to react to the problems they raise? Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
The CEO is called upon to make the most difficult and consequential decisions of anyone in the organization. But at the same time, the CEO cannot make every decision him or herself. This week, Joel discusses when a decision is the CEO’s to make and when it’s a better idea to delegate the decision to … Continue reading Episode 38: Delegating Decision Making →
We talk about caring being one of the essential ways that CEOs build influence with their teams. In a time when the CEO is looking out for the survival of the business, how can they also show that they care about their employees’ as people? How can they demonstrate that their putting the well-being of … Continue reading Episode 37: Showing Employees That You Care →
The CEO has multiple challenges when it comes to getting feedback and understanding how well they are doing in the role. First, people in the organization may be reluctant to tell them the unvarnished truth. Second, their only real “boss” is the board, with whom they likely meet infrequently. How can the CEO identify their … Continue reading Episode 36: How Am I Doing As CEO? →
Many US workers are now in a fourth month of working remotely—and for many people, it’s going well. Are open-plan offices a thing of the past? And how do managers and leaders fulfill their roles when their team may be offsite for the foreseeable future? Joel discusses that and more on this week’s episode. Sponsored … Continue reading Episode 34: Future of Remote Work →
Over the past week, every state in the US has seen protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. This week, Joel discusses this tragic circumstance and what it might tell us about leadership—or the failure of leadership—in police departments and in the country more broadly. Sponsored by: … Continue reading Episode 34: Leadership to Improve the Culture →
One of the things on most CEOs’ minds right now is managing expenses when the business may be experiencing an unprecedented slowdown. Headcount is one place many organizations have had to pull back on, but what other items should CEOs be thinking about to control costs? Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
As the health and economic fallout of the pandemic continues, CEOs face a challenge in their role as the public face of the company. Today, Joel discusses tips for making public statements when the company’s situation going forward is unpredictable. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
The logical question after an unprecedented, months-long economic shutdown is: “When and how to we reopen?” In this episode, Joel discusses the challenges we are likely to face in the months to come as business leaders deal with the second-, third-, and fourth-order effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
For many leaders, company culture feels especially fractured right now. Most employees aren’t at the office, everyone’s feeling uncertain, and the future is a haze. How can the CEO sustain a strong culture in such adverse conditions? We discuss just that in this week’s episode. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Most people are an expert in something. But when you’re a CEO, you can’t be the expert in everything—you must instead call on the experts in your organization to advise you. This week, Joel discusses how to evaluate experts and know what opinions should influence your decisions, especially the high-pressure ones you may be facing … Continue reading Episode 29: When to Listen to the Experts →
Management and leadership are two tools at the CEO’s disposal—both essential, neither “better” than the other. The best CEOs know the difference and use both tools at the appropriate times. As we forge through the pandemic and its economic fallout, when should the CEO lead and when should the CEO manage? Joel offers his take in this week’s … Continue reading Episode 28: Management vs. Leadership in High-Pressure Situations →
Making decisions at the CEO level comes with a lot of pressure at any time, but especially so during a global crisis like the one we are currently living through. This week, we discuss how CEOs can handle uncertainty and emotion and make strong decisions under pressure—even if those decisions are difficult. Sponsored by: Texas … Continue reading Episode 27: Decision Making Under Pressure →
As the CEO, you’re always under a lot of pressure, but it’s especially intense when you’re going through a crucible. How can you make sure you’re taking care of yourself and your family when the business seems to be demanding your full attention every minute? Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Many of us were caught off guard by the current crisis. We will inevitably recover—but what can CEOs do to future-proof the business from the next unexpected disruption? You can’t plan for every contingency—but you can be smart about your preparation. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
As offices in many cities and states are on lockdown due to the pandemic, some teams are experiencing fully remote work for the first time. This week, Joel discusses the nuances of working from home—and how CEOs and leaders should approach this challenge. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
As we all know, the world is going through an uncertain and chaotic time—and nearly every CEO is coping with the impact on their business, including its employees, customers, and shareholders. In this episode, Joel Trammell discusses the strategies he’s developed for leading an organization through crisis. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
The CEO role might just be the loneliest executive job around. Not only do you have no peers in the organization—you don’t have a traditional boss either. And when you’re CEO, it’s a lot harder to get people to be honest with you. Our question this week is about how CEOs break that bubble of … Continue reading Episode 22: Who Can I Talk To? →
If you manage an assembly line, it’s easy to spot the best performer – it’s the person making the most widgets to spec. But with knowledge work, the CEO has a lot harder time telling who’s succeeding and who’s failing. This week, we talk about strategies for evaluating performance objectively, even if the work product … Continue reading Episode 21: How Can You Tell If an Employee Is Doing a Good Job? →
Polls of new CEOs show that most are surprised by the demands of the job, and find that they weren’t as prepared as they thought they were. Join Joel and Steve for a discussion about why that is, and how novice CEOs can ready themselves. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
How should CEOs think about their company’s rivals in the market? Joel explores the best way to monitor, interact with, and think about competitors—and why it’s usually a good idea to work with them rather than against them. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
The CEO role is an incredibly personal job—because who you are and what you value defines the culture of the organization. Joel discusses CEO tactics for owning your critical role as cornerstone of company culture. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
In modern organizations, data is abundant. But can too much data cloud the CEO’s strategic vision? It’s a real possibility, Joel argues in this episode. Find out how to use data smartly in the CEO role. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Managing the board is one of the CEO’s trickiest jobs. Board members are your bosses, but the CEO does most of the work of managing them. Learn how to use the board effectively and avoid some of the most common mistakes CEOs make in relation to the board. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Almost every time a CEO gets fired, it’s because of a failure of predictability: The CEO told the board the organization could get something done, and then it didn’t happen. Joel discusses how to get better at prediction—and teach your employees to do the same. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
It’s a complex topic, and one often oversimplified by the media. What is the current state of CEO compensation? Is it something we should be concerned with? How does it differ across company size, pay type, and so forth? We discuss all that and more. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Pay is one of the least effective levers for motivating employees. On the other hand, if you don’t get compensation right, you can demotivate employees considerably. Joel presents a strategic approach that takes the bias and emotion out of setting employee pay levels. Sponsored by: Texas Mutual Insurance Company
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