,e of Contents
1. Cover
2. Table of Contents
3. Title Page
4. Copyright
5. Dedication
6. Foreword
7. Introduction
1. Why I Wrote This Book
2. What You'll Find in This Book
3. Notes
8. PART I: So, You're a CEO
1. CHAPTER 1: Why CEO Transitions Are So Hard
1. Out of Your Comfort Zone
2. Alone in a Crowd
3. A Heavy Crown
4. Busier than You've Ever Been
5. Never Too Soon for a Crisis
6. Notes
2. CHAPTER 2: Prepare to Win
1. Plan
2. Adjust
3. Your Ghost
4. The Business Context
5. Outsider or Insider
6. Note
9. PART II: Out of the Blocks: Making the Right Start
1. CHAPTER 3: Burst the CEO Bubble
1. See More, But Hear Less
2. Be Curious, Not Right
3. Two Ears, One Mouth
4. Check Your Biases at the Door
5. Notes
2. CHAPTER 4: Act Discerningly
1. Rethink the First 100 Days' Mindset
2. Festina Lente (Make Haste Slowly)
3. Easy Wins
4. Common Pain Points
5. Early Moves
6. Clearing the Decks
7. Note
3. CHAPTER 5: Get the Messaging Right
1. Communication versus Action
2. Intent versus Behavior
, 3. Chicken Noodle Soup and Blue Walls
4. Taking a Public Position
5. Notes
4. CHAPTER 6: Navigating the Crash
1. Power of Reflection
2. Here to Serve
3. Play Your Position
4. Trust Your Gut
5. Notes
10. PART III: Up and Running: Early Priorities
1. CHAPTER 7: Building Your Top Team
1. Move Fast on Your Team
2. Decide How You Will Assess Your Team
3. Would You Rehire?
4. Make Your Decision, But Be Aware of the Prevailing View
5. On the Right Tack
6. Notes
2. CHAPTER 8: Leading Your Top Team
1. Establish a “First-Team” Mentality Early
2. Different Strokes for Different Folks
3. Showing Up Consistently
4. Discuss, Debate, But You Decide
5. Speak Last
6. Notes
3. CHAPTER 9: Working with the Board
1. Get to Know Them Individually
2. When in Doubt, Share
3. Common Mistakes with the Board
4. Board Conflicts
5. The Board's Concerns of You, Their New CEO
6. Can I Have That in Writing?
7. Dealing with the Street
8. Notes
4. CHAPTER 10: Shaping the Culture
1. Assessing Your Culture
2. Everybody Wants Change; No One Wants to Change
3. Shifting the Culture
4. Notes
11. PART IV: Less of a Marathon, More a Series of Sprints
1. CHAPTER 11: If I Could Do It All Over Again
1. Ramon Laguarta, CEO, PepsiCo
2. Mark Clouse, CEO, Campbell's
3. Marc Bitzer, CEO, Whirlpool
4. Stephanie Tully, CEO, Jetstar
5. Sanjiv Lamba, CEO, Linde plc
6. Hans Vestberg, CEO, Verizon
, 7. Carol Tomé, CEO, UPS
8. Doug Mack, Former CEO, Fanatics
9. Paula MacKenzie, CEO, PizzaExpress
10. Ron Williams, Former Chairman & CEO of Aetna, CEO of RW2
Enterprises
11. Alan Beacham, CEO, Toll Group
12. Winnie Park, CEO, Forever 21
13. Lyssa McGowan, CEO, Pets at Home
14. Final Thoughts
12. Acknowledgments
13. About the Author
14. Index
15. End User License Agreement
PART I
So, You're a CEO
CHAPTER 1
Why CEO Transitions Are So Hard
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
—Shakespeare, Henry IV
How can a role that is so visible, so carefully watched, studied, and written about, be one that is
so hard to prepare for and get right?
Nobody goes into the CEO role with their eyes closed. You have likely been preparing for weeks,
months, and possibly years. You talk to other CEOs, you read everything you can, you might find
a mentor or coach. And when you head into the role, you're confident that you couldn't have done
any more. Yet just a few hours or days later, you find out that nothing can actually quite prepare
you for becoming a CEO.
The truth is that no CEO transition is without challenges. There's no singular reason for this.
Typically, it boils down to a combination of the following factors.
Out of Your Comfort Zone
1. Cover
2. Table of Contents
3. Title Page
4. Copyright
5. Dedication
6. Foreword
7. Introduction
1. Why I Wrote This Book
2. What You'll Find in This Book
3. Notes
8. PART I: So, You're a CEO
1. CHAPTER 1: Why CEO Transitions Are So Hard
1. Out of Your Comfort Zone
2. Alone in a Crowd
3. A Heavy Crown
4. Busier than You've Ever Been
5. Never Too Soon for a Crisis
6. Notes
2. CHAPTER 2: Prepare to Win
1. Plan
2. Adjust
3. Your Ghost
4. The Business Context
5. Outsider or Insider
6. Note
9. PART II: Out of the Blocks: Making the Right Start
1. CHAPTER 3: Burst the CEO Bubble
1. See More, But Hear Less
2. Be Curious, Not Right
3. Two Ears, One Mouth
4. Check Your Biases at the Door
5. Notes
2. CHAPTER 4: Act Discerningly
1. Rethink the First 100 Days' Mindset
2. Festina Lente (Make Haste Slowly)
3. Easy Wins
4. Common Pain Points
5. Early Moves
6. Clearing the Decks
7. Note
3. CHAPTER 5: Get the Messaging Right
1. Communication versus Action
2. Intent versus Behavior
, 3. Chicken Noodle Soup and Blue Walls
4. Taking a Public Position
5. Notes
4. CHAPTER 6: Navigating the Crash
1. Power of Reflection
2. Here to Serve
3. Play Your Position
4. Trust Your Gut
5. Notes
10. PART III: Up and Running: Early Priorities
1. CHAPTER 7: Building Your Top Team
1. Move Fast on Your Team
2. Decide How You Will Assess Your Team
3. Would You Rehire?
4. Make Your Decision, But Be Aware of the Prevailing View
5. On the Right Tack
6. Notes
2. CHAPTER 8: Leading Your Top Team
1. Establish a “First-Team” Mentality Early
2. Different Strokes for Different Folks
3. Showing Up Consistently
4. Discuss, Debate, But You Decide
5. Speak Last
6. Notes
3. CHAPTER 9: Working with the Board
1. Get to Know Them Individually
2. When in Doubt, Share
3. Common Mistakes with the Board
4. Board Conflicts
5. The Board's Concerns of You, Their New CEO
6. Can I Have That in Writing?
7. Dealing with the Street
8. Notes
4. CHAPTER 10: Shaping the Culture
1. Assessing Your Culture
2. Everybody Wants Change; No One Wants to Change
3. Shifting the Culture
4. Notes
11. PART IV: Less of a Marathon, More a Series of Sprints
1. CHAPTER 11: If I Could Do It All Over Again
1. Ramon Laguarta, CEO, PepsiCo
2. Mark Clouse, CEO, Campbell's
3. Marc Bitzer, CEO, Whirlpool
4. Stephanie Tully, CEO, Jetstar
5. Sanjiv Lamba, CEO, Linde plc
6. Hans Vestberg, CEO, Verizon
, 7. Carol Tomé, CEO, UPS
8. Doug Mack, Former CEO, Fanatics
9. Paula MacKenzie, CEO, PizzaExpress
10. Ron Williams, Former Chairman & CEO of Aetna, CEO of RW2
Enterprises
11. Alan Beacham, CEO, Toll Group
12. Winnie Park, CEO, Forever 21
13. Lyssa McGowan, CEO, Pets at Home
14. Final Thoughts
12. Acknowledgments
13. About the Author
14. Index
15. End User License Agreement
PART I
So, You're a CEO
CHAPTER 1
Why CEO Transitions Are So Hard
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
—Shakespeare, Henry IV
How can a role that is so visible, so carefully watched, studied, and written about, be one that is
so hard to prepare for and get right?
Nobody goes into the CEO role with their eyes closed. You have likely been preparing for weeks,
months, and possibly years. You talk to other CEOs, you read everything you can, you might find
a mentor or coach. And when you head into the role, you're confident that you couldn't have done
any more. Yet just a few hours or days later, you find out that nothing can actually quite prepare
you for becoming a CEO.
The truth is that no CEO transition is without challenges. There's no singular reason for this.
Typically, it boils down to a combination of the following factors.
Out of Your Comfort Zone
