A Reality Check for Former Fortune 500 Executives: The Gap Between Portfolio Careers and Real SME Leadership
After a couple of days reflecting on the Financial Times article, I couldn’t help but giggle at how detached both the SHREK firms and the Fortune 500 executives they reference appear to be. They talk about joining Disney boards as if that’s everyone’s next career step - what’s next, riding Space Mountain during meetings?
A Reality Check: The Gap Between Portfolio Careers and Real SME Leadership
The trend of Fortune 500 execs crafting “portfolio careers” through firms like @Russell Reynolds and Egon Zehnder feels more like a comfortable, high-society networking strategy than real work. They opt for cushy board positions and advisory gigs, which come with prestige and a manageable time commitment, but if they really want to experience the challenges of leadership, why not try stepping into a Non-Executive Director or Chair role at an SME? I won't hold my breath!
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SMEs: A World Away from Disney
Forget the smooth, predictable life of a big-name board. In an SME, you’re dealing with real problems - cash flow crises, limited staffing, and the scramble to keep up with market shifts. Imagine having to worry about payroll every week, not just committee meetings and jetting off to some exotic locale for a board meeting. It’s not quite the same glamorous lifestyle that these “portfolio” careers seem to promise.
Sure, they like to think they’re staying sharp by mentoring and advising, but would they thrive in a setting where decisions come without a safety net? SMEs demand real, hands-on leadership - something that might shock those used to delegating everything from their corner offices.
While these ex-executives enjoy their “reimagined” roles on boards, their portfolio careers may not be as demanding as they’d like to think. If they’re searching for that “balance of excitement and fear,” they should try spending a week in the shoes of an SME chair - now that would be a challenge worthy of their talents.
After all, there’s a world beyond the Disney boardroom! Or is there!?
I develop HR strategy for SMEs that minimise risk, protect profits and add value .............. speaker | author | HR business strategist
5 个月Balancing strategy with the hands-on, day-to-day demands of a smaller business would be a real test of adaptability.
Managing Director at Greatdays Travel Group
5 个月Ian don’t mess with the Mouse! This is not Tom & Jerry??
International Expansion | Product Innovation | Operational Excellence in Luxury & Retail Sectors | Transforming Brands & Enhancing Customer Engagement Across Global Markets
5 个月From experience, SMEs are brutal!! At big organisations leadership tends to get used to routine and comfort( not always granted) stepping into the SME world, more often than not they get perturbed at the dynamic struggles and challenges.
Chief Executive @ Macnaughton Holdings Limited | Textile Industry
5 个月I think the reality is that managing organisations with that kind of scale, does not prepare you in any way for for running an SME. The challenges, as you say, are extremely different. I made a much less dramatic transition from 800 employees to 80 and had to relearn how to run things. It is just as unlikely to succeed as moving from an SME to a Fortune 500 company.
Founder & CEO of Virtualnonexecs.com
5 个月https://www.ft.com/content/7717c77c-2035-4269-a76e-5c0d88a6b964