Ask not what your CEO can do for you, but what you can do for your CEO.

In 2021, I hired a CEO for the new telecom venture, and a president for the legacy real estate business.?Both turned out to be stars.?This raised my lifetime score of just 50% in hiring corporate leadership.?

The CEO reports to me and the board, serving at our discretion. ?This hierarchy can cause new venture board members to micromanage the CEO. ?But a star CEO can fail if a Board of Directors does not understand its role.

Here’s simple guidance.?When you see your CEO, the first (and second) question to ask is “How can I help you?” ??Sure, you can have an agenda in mind.?Yes, you can have course corrections you want the CEO to adopt.?And maybe work practices you want changed.?But unless you want to shoulder all problems of the office, start with that question.?

With the telecom CEO, I have some differences.?It is a long list, but it adds up to barely 5% of all initiatives.??The business is on his mind 24/7.?He knows nuance on vendors, staff, and clients that I don’t see.?His strategy is sophisticated and driven by a web of factors.?He balances and tunes it every week.?We have some disagreement on channel strategy, small differences in management style, and a diversity of opinions on scaling and financing operations.?And I’d like to heap more initiatives on his 50-hour week.? But after I ask, “How can I help?” I limit my Board privilege to asking lots of questions.?Sometimes they guide him, sometimes I learn from his answers, sometimes I get ignored.?He knows ‘my issues.’

SUMMARY: Ask “How Can I help?”??Ask more questions.??Don’t micromanage your CEO.