They are admired by their peers. They are praised in the media and by âcommon men.â They are considered heroes by multitudes of aspiring business leaders dreaming of making it big in the corporate arena. Competent administrators, outstanding leaders and true visionaries, these Chief Executive Officers have performed exemplarily over the long term, spurring their organizations to success not just in the business sense, but also on a scale of public reputation and perception. Take a look into the mantras of these four prominent chief executives. Unlock some of the truths of how these concepts work for them, and how you can make them work for you too. âAs new technology comes into the society there is a period of adjustment and education.â- Steve Jobs Steve Jobs Page: Apple
The late chief executive of Apple Inc. understood the delicate nature of mankind and its reluctance to adapt to the new and unknown. Creating products is not enough for business success; businesses must also be on the forefront of educating and aiding customers into innovation. This can be done through advertising campaigns, informative content, and well-trained customer service. âWe cherish cost-consciousness at Berkshire.â-Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Twitter: @WarrenBuffett Warren Buffett Website: Warren Buffett 
Consider the rest Buffettâs quote above to understand the brilliance of his mantra: âOur model is the widow who went to the local newspaper to place an obituary notice. Told there was a 25-cent-a-word charge, she requested âFred Brown died.â She was then informed there was a seven-word minimum. âOkayâ the bereaved woman replied, âmake it âFred Brown died, golf clubs for sale.ââ It is this drive for efficiency and cost-benefit analysis that propels Berkshire Hathaway to be one of the ten largest public companies in the world. Buffet pushes his organization to make every dollar count, and to maximize the results of every venture they undertake. There is no room for lackadaisical effort or half-hearted business decisions. âBe simple and reliableâ â Jan Koum Jan Koum Twitter: @JanKoum Jan Koum LinkedIn: Jan Koum 
The CEO of WhatsApp keeps with the philosophies of military minds around the globe; keep things simple and master the basics. Koumâs mantra is personified in the freely available app which was without any advertisement. WhatsApp persistent focus was on delivering what Koum describes as a âgimmickless, reliable, friction-free user experience.â That is the reason WhatsApp is among the worldâs most popular and profitable phone apps with 450 million users across the globe. âNext playâ– Jeff Weiner Jeff Weiner LinkedIn: Jeff Weiner Jeff Weiner Twitter: @JeffWeiner
The embraced mantra of LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner is “next play.” This is a phrase Weiner has borrowed from legendary Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski; âCoach Kâ calls it out after every sequence on offense or defense. Weiner explains the mantra as meaning “take a minute to celebrate success or reflect on failure, but then move on.” As an executive, Weiner takes time to recognize the relatively minor accomplishments of his staff. He often ends a meeting or speech by asking what he could have done better. He takes all of these aspects into account, then immediately goes about to improve on his individual performance. By this personal drive for improvement, he aspires his team to make similar efforts for self-improvement. With every individual of one
mind and focus towards improvement, his organization becomes a stronger unit and more likely to achieve greatness. Conclusion What makes a good business executive? There is no definitive answer. However, this is not a bad thing. There are differing attitudes and approaches which can lead to the aspired heights of business greatness and leadership. The four men listed above are a case in point. The key is to find what best reflects your own personality and expertise, and to promote this mantra will all of your will. By doing this, you can follow in the footsteps of greatness, and become the next hero of the business world.
Make sure you’re ready to to take your career to CEO level and succeed. Sign up to the CI Executive Career Management programme and get access to a Career Coach to guide and coach you through your journey to board level. Also don’t forget to keep a lookout for the top roles that become available in emerging markets.
Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter and our LinkedIn page by clicking on the buttons below!
Comments are closed