last word.This is my last editor's column for Chief Executive. After nearly 23 years with CE, I'm shifting career gears and will be helping CEOs with communications strategy as a principal with the Dilenschneider Group, a New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. consulting and communications firm. John Brandt, CE's able new editorial director, will oversee Chief Executive Group publications from here on. However, to borrow a software industry term, Brandt and the CE team have a number of "free upgrades" in store. I will continue to furnish commentary and moderate at CE events as editor-at-large. Since I joined the magazine in 1978, almost everything about CEOs has changed dramatically. My meetings with Ford's Henry Ford II and Chase Manhattan's David Rockefeller David Rockefeller, Sr. (born June 12, 1915) is a prominent American banker, philanthropist, world statesman, and the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the youngest and only surviving child and grandchild, respectively, of the prominent philanthropist John D. some 20 years ago illustrate how far the CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. world has come. It was plain as soon as I was ushered into each man's presence that these were not mere business leaders, but princes of the blood. (Years later, I traveled to New Delhi New Delhi (dĕl`ē), city (1991 pop. 294,149), capital of India and of Delhi state, N central India, on the right bank of the Yamuna River. to interview India's ill-fated prime minister Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Ratna Gandhi राजीव गाधीं (IPA: [raːdʒiːv gaːnd̪ʰiː] and was struck by the relative lack of ceremony the head of state commanded compared with the grandsons of America's so called robber barons Robber Barons A disparaging term dating back to the 12th century which refers to: 1) Unscrupulous feudal lords who amassed personal fortunes by using illegal and immoral business practices, such as illegally charging tolls to merchant ships that passed .) The imperial CEO who commanded from Olympian heights has since given way to the everyman CEO who realizes no business leader can possibly know everything in a fast-changing economy. CEOs are no less powerful, but the nature of power and influence has changed. Today's CEOs can only succeed if they enable others around them to succeed. This year's "Route to the Top" (CE: February 2001) detailed changes--such as higher turnover, greater performance expectations, a global vision, and the death of hierarchy-currently facing CEOs. A few more developments I see playing out in the coming years include: * Complexity will lead to simplicity. Many CEOs' jobs have become too complex for one individual. Increasingly firms are splitting the function through a separate non-executive chairman who deals with outside constituencies, such as customers, as Intel's Andy Grove does, or with the financial community, as is the practice of U.K. firms. This model was once more prevalent in the U.S. Necessity may bring it back into favor. * Trust is the new leadership currency. In a world of instant communication CEOs cannot be everywhere; therefore they're compelled to rely on others as never before, and others will, in turn, rely only on those with similar core values. * Green theology is assaulting profits. "The Precautionary Principle The precautionary principle is a moral and political principle which states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate " (CE: December 2000) promotes the idea that no economic activity should be undertaken if possible harm to the environment is perceived. Under such circumstances, advances like railroads, electricity, and penicillin would have never been developed. Coping with "Green Theology" (see this issue's cover story, p. 24) will be a growth challenge. These are just some of the developments likely to be uppermost in the minds of CEOs in the next decade. As always, I'm confident CE will continue to deliver compelling editorial on the issues and challenges facing our business leaders. I look forward to continuing to monitor and analyze the evolving role of the CEO in my new post as a contributor to--and loyal reader of--Chief Executive magazine. The 2001 Chief Executive of the Year Selection Committee 2000 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR John Chambers John Chambers could be any of the following people:
President and Chief Executive, Cisco Systems “Cisco” redirects here. For other uses, see Cisco (disambiguation). Cisco System,Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO, HKSE: 4333 ) is an American multinational corporation with 54,000 employees and annual revenue of US $28.48 billion as of 2006. Carol A. Bartz Chairman and Chief Executive, Autodesk Walter W. Buckley III President and Chief Executive, Internet Capital Group Daniel H. Case III Chairman and Chief Executive, Chase H&Q James E. Copeland, Jr. Chief Executive, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Deloitte & Touche (also referred to as Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, and branded as Deloitte.) is the second largest professional services firm in the world, and one of the Big Four auditors, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and KPMG. Robert J. Davis President and Chief Executive, Lycos Aart J. deGeus Chairman and Chief Executive, Synopsys Joe W. Forehand forehand the head, neck, shoulders, withers and forelimbs of the horse. Chief Executive, Accenture Richard M. Kovacevich President and Chief Executive, Wells Fargo Wells Fargo armored carriers of bullion. [Am. Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 1147] See : Protectiveness Wells Fargo company that handled express service to western states; often robbed. [Am. Hist. Robert W. Lear Chairman, Chief Executive Advisory Board Robert L. Nardelli President and Chief Executive, The Home Depot James L. Vincent James L. Vincent is the manager and CEO of Biogen Idec. He graduate from Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He received an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1963. Chairman and Chief Executive, Biogen Chief Executive Advisory Board Robert W. Lear Chairman, Chief Executive Advisory Board Frank V. Cahouet Former Chairman and President, Mellon Bank Corp. Donald Jacobs Dean, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University Vernon R. Loucks Jr. Chairman, Baxter International Leslie G. McCraw Former Chairman and Chief Executive, Fluor Didier Pineau-Valencienne Former Chairman, Schneider Electric George T. Shaheen President and Chief Executive, Webvan Group Robert B. Shapiro Chairman and Chief Executive, Monsanto |
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