Nick Forrest - How Dare You Manage?: Seven Principles to Close the Ceo Skill Gap

I have written How Dare You Manage? to help would-be, new or veteran CEOs to close what I call the CEO skill gap. This gap exists because those who reach the very top of their organization:

Have never been taught how to manage large groups of employees

Have never been accountable for everything (until now, they have always worked for someone else there was always a boss to defer to)

Believe their role is to lead, whereas and this may sound counterintuitive it is primarily to manage

While I address CEOs directly throughout this book, I have written it for many others, as well, including:

Executive vice presidents or vice presidents, some of whom may aspire to the top role, who run a division in excess of 250 employees

Anyone who is part of an executive team that collectively manages a large workforce

Board members (including the chair of the nominating committee) who work with executive leaders and CEOs. Members of a companys board are custodians of the company; they should understand what it takes to support those who manage large groups of employees

Individuals who have been identified by the senior leadership team as high potential. Leaders and board members should be proactive in inviting senior talent in to the boardroom. If you are invited, you need to understand corporate leadership; you need to display how, in your department, you are doing all of the things that would be required of you in the CEOs position: developing and implementing a clear structure for your department and a functioning succession-planning strategy, setting and defining the goals of your department and reaching them through your people, and, most importantly, aligning your department with company-wide goals and approaches

Anyone who consults for, or provides services to, members of the C-suite (this includes executive coaches)

Senior Human Resources managers

Furthermore, while I focus on the realities of corporate life, readers in other types of business will also find this book helpful, including heads of family businesses and entrepreneurs/owners.

How Dare You Manage? includes examples from my experience as a consultant to CEOs and other senior leaders. In particular, I follow the progress of Jos Wintermans of Canadian Tire Acceptance Ltd., who provides a powerful illustration of how CEOs can identify their skill gap and close it and the amazing results that follow.

Allow me to speak to you, my reader, directly. I believe this book will help you focus on learning the craft, as opposed to the techniques, of management. (Say goodbye to the management flavour of the month.) I believe you will experience an increase in confidence by knowing there is a proven way forward, and I can do this. I hope your enthusiasm will spike at the possibility that I can truly create a highly productive organization that can achieve spectacular results with an engaged, kick-ass workforce.

Above all, I hope my boldness in identifying a skill gap in top leaders as one of the most serious problems faced by organizations today will be taken in the spirit in which it is meant: to help you unlock your own potential and the potential of everyone you manage.

Nick Forrest