CEO Excellence

Welcome, Fellow Travelers

Todays Book

CEO Excellence
By Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller

Summary Snapshot

CEO Excellence looks at what makes the best CEOs stand out. After talking to 67 top leaders, the book identifies six main duties: setting direction, aligning the organization, mobilizing leaders, engaging the board, connecting with stakeholders, and managing personal effectiveness. Instead of having one "perfect" leadership style, great CEOs are disciplined, adaptable, and clear. The book guides anyone seeking to lead effectively and make a lasting impact.

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• CEOs shape direction clearly
  A CEO’s most critical responsibility is to provide a clear sense of direction. Without it, organizations drift and waste resources. Great CEOs create a compelling vision that inspires people, clarifies priorities, and reduces confusion. By aligning everyone around shared goals, they give their companies the momentum and confidence needed to face challenges and pursue opportunities.

• Alignment is as important as strategy
  A great vision means little without alignment. CEOs ensure that teams, resources, and systems are working in harmony. This prevents internal competition and wasted energy. When everyone pulls in the same direction, decisions are made faster, execution is smoother, and the company gains a unified strength that competitors struggle to match.

• Mobilizing leaders multiplies impact
  One leader cannot do everything. The best CEOs recognize this and actively build strong leadership teams. They empower key executives, give them ownership, and encourage accountability. By mobilizing leaders across departments, the CEO multiplies influence, builds organizational resilience, and ensures progress continues even when they step back from day-to-day involvement.

• Boards are partners, not adversaries
  Boards are often viewed as obstacles, but exceptional CEOs engage with them as partners. They build trust by sharing information openly, seeking advice, and inviting constructive debate. A healthy CEO–board relationship improves strategic thinking, strengthens decision-making, and provides vital support during crises. Collaboration ensures the board becomes a resource instead of a burden.

• Stakeholder trust builds durability
  Trust with customers, employees, communities, and investors strengthens a company’s foundation. CEOs earn this trust through consistency in delivering what they say, providing value, and demonstrating responsibility. Trusted companies are forgiven more quickly for mistakes and receive greater support during tough times. Over time, stakeholder trust becomes a powerful shield and a key driver of growth.

• Personal effectiveness drives leadership
  CEOs manage complex demands, so their effectiveness depends on personal discipline. They prioritize their time, protect their energy, and remain focused on what matters most. Great CEOs avoid getting lost in details, delegate wisely, and take care of their health. Their personal habits set the standard for the entire organization.

• Discipline separates the best CEOs
  Success is rarely about sudden brilliance. The best CEOs follow disciplined practices consistently: reviewing progress, reinforcing priorities, and repeating clear messages. This discipline builds trust and creates predictable performance. Teams feel secure knowing their leader is steady, and results compound over time through small but consistent actions.

• Adaptability is a must
  Markets shift constantly, and CEOs who resist change quickly fall behind. Adaptable leaders embrace uncertainty, adjust strategies when needed, and remain open to fresh ideas. They strike a balance between stability and flexibility, making bold moves when circumstances require it. Adaptability ensures the company survives crises, seizes opportunities, and stays relevant in a changing world.

• Purpose drives performance
  Purpose is more powerful than profit. The best CEOs connect daily work to a higher mission, inspiring employees to contribute more. When people believe in what they do, they go beyond requirements. Purpose attracts talent, motivates teams, and unites organizations through good times and bad, making performance more sustainable.

• Courageous decisions define leadership
  Leadership is tested in tough choices, acquisitions, layoffs, pivots, or crises. Courageous CEOs act decisively, striking a balance between data and judgment. They know waiting too long is often riskier than acting. Courageous decisions may be unpopular in the short term, but they protect the company’s future and earn respect for long-term conviction.

• Execution is the ultimate measure
  Ideas are worthless without action. CEOs stand out by ensuring strategies are executed consistently. They hold teams accountable, track progress, and adjust quickly when things go off track. Execution builds credibility with employees, boards, and stakeholders. When promises are consistently delivered, confidence grows both inside and outside the organization.

• Listening builds credibility
  Listening is one of the simplest yet most powerful leadership skills. CEOs who actively listen to employees, customers, and markets gather insights others miss. Listening signals humility and respect, which builds trust. When people feel heard, they engage more fully, provide better feedback, and align more strongly with company goals.

• Consistency builds culture
  Culture is shaped more by repeated behavior than by slogans. Employees watch CEOs closely. When leaders consistently act in line with stated values, culture strengthens. Inconsistency breeds distrust and confusion. Consistency builds credibility, reinforces priorities, and ensures that the company’s values are lived, not just spoken.

• Simplicity strengthens communication
  Complex strategies confuse people. Great CEOs simplify plans into a few clear priorities, then repeat them consistently. Simplicity makes direction easier to follow and decisions faster to make. Clear, simple communication unites teams, ensures alignment, and prevents wasted effort on goals that don’t matter. Everyone knows what truly counts.

• Resilience sustains success
  Every CEO faces setbacks, but resilience separates the best. Resilient leaders recover quickly, maintain their optimism, and demonstrate strength during challenging times. Their steadiness inspires employees to remain committed even when results dip. Resilience ensures organizations bounce back stronger, turning crises into opportunities for growth and learning.

• Time is a CEO’s scarcest resource
  With endless demands, CEOs must protect their time fiercely. They focus on the highest-value activities, such as strategy, talent, and culture, and avoid distractions. Poor time management spreads leaders too thin, weakening their impact. Guarding time ensures energy is invested where it produces the greatest return for the organization.

• Delegation frees leaders
  CEOs cannot run everything themselves. Delegating responsibility empowers others, develops future leaders, and frees the CEO to focus on strategy. Strong delegation signals trust, not weakness. It builds depth in the leadership bench and prepares the company for long-term resilience beyond one individual.

• Clarity in crisis matters most
  In uncertain times, people look to the CEO for direction. A calm, clear message provides reassurance and focus. Great CEOs communicate honestly, explain next steps, and keep teams steady. Clarity prevents panic, reduces rumors, and ensures the organization responds with unity during high-stress moments.

• Learning never stops
  The best CEOs view themselves as lifelong students. They read widely, ask questions, and seek diverse perspectives. Lifelong learning prevents arrogance and keeps them adaptable. By modeling curiosity and humility, they encourage their teams to improve continually, ensuring the company evolves rather than stagnates.

• Humility strengthens leadership
  Confidence is necessary, but arrogance destroys credibility. Humble CEOs admit mistakes, celebrate team wins, and stay approachable. Humility fosters loyalty, trust, and openness. Employees feel valued and contribute more freely when they know their leader respects them, which creates a healthier, more collaborative workplace.

• Boldness is sometimes necessary
  Incremental change cannot always keep up with disruption. Bold CEOs know when to take big swings, like acquisitions, pivots, or restructuring. Boldness requires courage and timing, but when applied wisely, it unlocks growth that steady, cautious approaches cannot achieve. Playing safe forever risks irrelevance.

• Transparency builds trust
  Trust grows when leaders are open. Transparent CEOs share both successes and challenges, preventing rumors and speculation. Transparency signals integrity, builds credibility with stakeholders, and reassures employees. People respect leaders who tell the truth, even when the truth is hard to hear.

• Culture eats strategy for breakfast
  Even the smartest strategies fail in a toxic culture. CEOs focus on shaping environments where values, accountability, and collaboration thrive. Culture ensures people deliver consistently, even when plans change. A strong culture is the ultimate engine for executing strategy and creating long-term sustainability.

• Inspiration motivates beyond duty
  Employees will do their jobs, but inspiration pushes them to go beyond. CEOs inspire through vision, recognition, and leading by example. Inspired teams bring creativity, passion, and energy, creating momentum that pure management control could never achieve. Inspiration unlocks extra effort that propels organizations forward.

• Balance short-term and long-term
  Delivering quarterly results is important, but not at the expense of the future. Great CEOs strike a balance between today’s needs and tomorrow’s investments in research, people, and sustainability. Balancing short-term performance with long-term priorities creates durable companies that succeed across decades, not just quarters.

• Stakeholder engagement is ongoing
  Engaging stakeholders is not occasional, it’s constant. CEOs actively engage with employees, customers, investors, and the broader community. This ensures diverse perspectives are heard and trust is maintained. Ongoing engagement makes companies more adaptable and respected, particularly in industries that face scrutiny or rapid change.

• Crisis reveals character
  How a CEO behaves in a crisis defines them. The best stay visible, communicate honestly, and make tough choices. Crises expose values and leadership strength. A steady hand during chaos builds lasting respect, while poor crisis leadership can damage reputations for years.

• Self-awareness prevents blind spots
  Every leader has weaknesses. Self-aware CEOs admit their shortcomings, seek feedback, and surround themselves with complementary talent. Self-awareness reduces ego-driven mistakes and creates balanced decision-making. Leaders who know themselves foster trust and build stronger, more capable leadership teams.

• Excellence is repeatable discipline
  Excellence is not a single brilliant moment, but the result of repeatable habits. CEOs who consistently practice clear communication, conduct disciplined reviews, and engage in regular reflection create reliability. These small, steady actions compound over time, building trust and results that stand the test of change and crisis.

• Legacy is built over time
  A CEO’s true legacy is not a single decision but the sum of years of actions. By prioritizing purpose, discipline, and trust, they build organizations that thrive long after their tenure has ended. Great CEOs think not about fame today but about impact decades into the future.

What’s Next?

Excellence in leadership is not about brilliance in a single moment, but about consistent habits. Choose one practice, such as simplifying communication, delegating effectively, or listening more deeply, and apply it this week. Small, steady actions repeated over time create lasting leadership impact.

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In our last email, we explored The Next Conversation — a practical guide to listening better, handling conflict calmly, and building stronger connections by focusing on empathy, clarity, and everyday communication skills.