ashokbhatia

CEOs who happen to rank very high in terms of their Concern for Production and Concern for Ethics but rank poorly in terms of Concern for People fall in this category. They are crazy about getting results. They strive to conform to high values, ethics and systems and procedures.

In terms of an upgraded Blake Mouton Grid, they rank at 9,1,9.

Driven by ideals, these CEOs happen to be perfectionists. They are passionate about their work. They are technically proficient. In their value system, goals are as important as the means to achieve them.

In the hearts of their team members, they strike terror. Anyone who is deemed to be either ineffective or inefficient is ruthlessly ticked off. Much like Napoleon, they have no use for losers. They are extremely reluctant to buy excuses. They reprimand in public and may never shower praise even in private.

Under them, attrition rates are invariably high. Those who are good at their jobs and have a shared sense of ethics and values do well in their teams. Those who are either sloppy or believe themselves to be more pragmatic in life seek greener pastures – either in other business units or in other organizations. Many would struggle, perhaps in vain, not to land up in a lunatic asylum.

Those who have worked for such CEOs for some time appreciate the relevance of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in their careers. Four years of slogging under them sounds like ten years!

Those in Finance and Audit simply love them. But those who handle HR, public relations and liaison hate them. If an Industrial Relations dispute has to be resolved by means which may not be entirely ethical, or if speed money needs to be dished out to secure a government contract or approval, hierarchy has to be ignored and someone senior has to be kept in the loop. Dubious acts and expenses get covered up subtly.

There are times when this creates a bipolar culture in the organization – islands of excellence separated by vast lakes of mediocrity. Overall efficiency of the organization takes a hit. Employees often spend more time twiddling their thumbs trying to figure out as to what information needs to be successfully kept hidden from the boss.

This is the breed which takes a proprietary interest in the affairs of business. They roam around the remotest corners of a business empire, much like a lion would supervise its territory. They are the lords and masters of all that they survey. Ticking off peers comes easy to them.

Managements are often clueless about handling them. Despite strong undercurrents of revolt, they get tolerated and survive. The reason is not far to seek: they deliver. Moreover, they are incorruptible and have a great sense of values and ethics. They are blue blooded intra-preneurs and make great project managers.

They happen to be great assets especially when a new project is being set up. Once the project becomes operational, though, managements would be inclined to move them to another one. Or, find them a suitably elevated silo, where they could work with a smaller team on a different set of Key Result Areas.

Note: Inputs from Ms Somali K Chakrabarti are gratefully acknowledged. She can be found at Scribble and Scrawl (https://prepforum.wordpress.com)

(Related Posts:

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2015/12/24/looking-for-ceos-inspired-by-the-yuletide-spirit

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/ceos-who-happen-to-be-charmless-charlies

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2016/01/14/ceos-who-end-up-becoming-road-rollers

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/the-sponge-comforter-ceos

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2016/01/28/ceos-who-are-arsonist-achievers

https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/the-missionary-zealot-ceos)