NewsBytes
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    More
    In the news
    Narendra Modi
    Amit Shah
    Box Office Collection
    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    OTT releases
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    NewsBytes
    User Placeholder

    Hi,

    Logout


    India Business World Politics Sports Technology Entertainment Auto Lifestyle Inspirational Career Visual Stories Find Cricket Statistics Phones Reviews Fitness Bands Reviews Speakers Reviews

    Download Android App

    Follow us on
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
     
    Home / News / Business News / CEOs: Deciphering the enigma and busting the boardroom's myths
    CEOs: Deciphering the enigma and busting the boardroom's myths
    Business

    CEOs: Deciphering the enigma and busting the boardroom's myths

    Written by Anish Chakraborty
    August 08, 2017 | 11:58 am 3 min read
    CEOs: Deciphering the enigma and busting the boardroom's myths

    It's a thinking-out-loud kind of a situation. What makes a CEO tick? With Indian start-up scene witnessing a boom and exposure to the machinery of global firms, we somehow have started equating these companies with their CEOs. Boisterous, larger than life, full of gusto or reticent, reserved prudence - what's the mix someone should have to lead an industry behemoth? Let's have a look.

    Claps or no claps

    One of the prevailing notions is that CEOs should be charismatic in nature. Everyone, who has seen Steve Jobs on the stage, delivering a speech, has been inspired. But this isn't a hard and fast rule. To balance this theory, I have another guy. This lanky man, with a quaint demeanor doing a fabulous job, is the Chief Executive Officer of Google, Sundar Pichai.

    A keen sense

    There's something called The CEO Genome Project, which is a 10-year study that has combed through thousands of CEOs to find out what goes into the making of a successful leader. Project's founder, Elena Lytkina Botelho had shared that when we look at the bigger picture, introverts have done a slightly better job in exceeding the expectations of their boards than the "charismatic" extroverts.

    A learning curve

    Some believe CEOs are infallible and even if they make mistakes, they shouldn't admit them. Never making mistakes is an impossible proposition. Admitting it helps a lot. Samsung Note 7 was a disaster. Its CEO apologized and made amends. People stood by them and bought Galaxy S8. It literally saved Samsung. Volkswagen lied, cheated emission tests, denied it and that doomed the company.

    That's not how it works

    Leaders should be autocratic and remote in nature, is another myth that needs to be busted. Sitting in a corner office, taking decisions on his/her own is an archaic philosophy. Facebook's CEO doesn't have a corner office. He sits with his employees and so does Paytm's CEO, Vijay Shekhar Sharma. An open line of communication is integral for businesses these days.

    In all shapes and kind

    Three CEOs are always in my mind when I muse on this topic. One is Travis Cordell Kalanick, the co-founder of the world's most valuable start-up till date. Uber, grew meteorically but Travis, unfortunately, crashed and burned. That's a CEO-story worth studying. Another is the story of Colonel Sanders, the man behind KFC, whose CEO-journey started at the ripe age of 60.

    My pinch bag CEO

    I know India hasn't been exposed to the full blast of Ikea yet. Give it some more years. They're already here and they're expanding. Speaking of Ikea, my favorite is the story of Ingvar Kamprad. Ikea's founder, CEO Kamprad is someone, whom you would call a cheapskate. He buys his clothes from flea markets to save money, despite being worth a whopping €65.5bn.

    Here's what it is

    CEOs are like that quote about life and chocolates from the movie Forrest Gump - "you never know what you're gonna get." How they have been instrumental in the firm's growth and their legacy or the lack of it, defines them, not popular make-believe notions. As you never should judge a book by the cover, never judge a CEO by the myths you hear.

    Share this timeline
    Facebook
    Whatsapp
    Twitter
    Linkedin
    Related News
    India
    Indian Startups
    Vijay Shekhar Sharma
    Forrest Gump

    India

    Bengaluru to have heli taxi service in 3 months Karnataka
    How India-Pakistan partition separated four best friends, 70 years ago Pakistan News
    Is China gearing up for a war in Doklam? Sikkim
    Coolpad Note 5 Lite C now available in India! Uttar Pradesh

    Indian Startups

    The start-up funding game: In focus now, Matrix Partners India India
    Zomato Skillet to educate restaurateurs about industry insights, skills, tricks Zomato
    Snapdeal 2.0, the story of not giving in to pressure India
    Multi-million dollar Zoho Corp powered by high school graduates India

    Vijay Shekhar Sharma

    Paytm, Hong Kong-based AGTech Media to develop games jointly Paytm
    Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar's new Lutyens' zone acquisition Paytm
    Going cashless to support "Digital India" India
    Flipkart's Sachin Bansal eyes lobby group for start-ups India

    Forrest Gump

    Is Aamir Khan planning to quit acting? Here's the truth Hollywood
    Aamir Khan will launch son Junaid, but on one condition Bollywood
    'Lal Singh Chaddha,' Aamir's next, will feature Babri Masjid demolition? Aamir Khan
    'Laal Singh Chaddha': Aamir Khan took painkillers for running scenes Bollywood
    Next News Article

    Love Business News?

    Subscribe to stay updated.

    Business Thumbnail
    Indian Premier League (IPL) Celebrity Hollywood Bollywood UEFA Champions League Tennis Football Smartphones Cryptocurrency Upcoming Movies Premier League Cricket News Latest automobiles Latest Cars Upcoming Cars Latest Bikes Upcoming Tablets
    About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive Download DevBytes Find Cricket Statistics
    Follow us on
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin
    All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2023