60-Minute CEO: Mastering Leadership an Hour at a Time

by Dick Cross

Overview

Looking toward the C-suite? Take heed. Author and serial CEO Dick Cross pulls back the curtain on this top leadership role, explaining in his new book that being a successful leader, running a business, and doing it extraordinarily well isn't a full-time job. In 60-Minute CEO: The Fast Track to Top Leadership, Cross makes the case that the single greatest determinant of business success revolves around the job at the top. Cross suggests that the most important, and often overlooked, duty for a CEO is thinking about how to improve his or her business and how to be a leader. Cross also reveals that a mediocre leader can be transformed into an exemplary one simply by refining two key things: thinking and character. In Cross's trademark conversational style, he conveys why strategy and execution, while important, should take a back seat to authenticity and responsibility, and that the essential elements of the CEO role can be accomplished in several 60-minute sessions every week. Executives may fill their time with other tasks, but leading and running a company requires explicit skills different from those needed for any other corporate position. The good news is that those skills are easy to learn, fun to do, and not time-consuming. In an entertaining style, Cross offers executives the fast track to the top leadership position. And while 60 minutes may seem like a quick fix, as Cross sees it, three 60-minute sessions a week devoted solely to considering your business and your role as leader are crucial to business and leadership success. In 60-Minute CEO, Dick Cross brings over 25 years of experience of transforming companies in various stages of underperformance into industry powerhouses. Cross combines his knowledge and experience with the stories and lessons of preeminent leaders and thinkers including General George Patton and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629560090
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/08/2014
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dick Cross has worked with underperforming companies for more than 25 years, helping mainstream businesses achieve their next level of success. Dick has been the Chairman, CEO, or President at eight of those companies, and has mentored more than 100 CEOs at others. Much of his career has been spent in private equity circles, including Fenway Partners, and he currently serves on the board of numerous corporate, philanthropic, and civic organizations.

On the lecture circuit, Dick is an enthusiastic, colorful, and engaging speaker, who greatly enjoys conveying the story behind every business. He holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Science in Business from Columbia University. He and his wife split the year between Concord, Massachusetts, and Gloucester Point, Virginia. Dick is the author of Just Run It!: Running an Exceptional Business is Easier Than You Think (Bibliomotion 2012).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Prepare the Cabin for Takeoff

Chapter 1 Unmasking the Myth 3

Chapter 2 Softening Up the Beachhead 7

Chapter 3 The Big Idea 11

Chapter 4 60 Minutes… Really? 17

Climbing Through 10,000 Feet

Chapter 5 Thinking… About What? 23

Chapter 6 Chameleon at the Top 29

Chapter 7 Your Big Picture on the Back of an Envelope 33

Chapter 8 What Your Customers Want… Right Now! 37

Chapter 9 It's Not Your Products Anymore 41

Chapter 10 Mission-Driven Business 45

Chapter 11 Establishing Loyalty 49

Chapter 12 Revelation: The Answers Aren't in the Numbers 53

Chapter 13 The Magic of Renewal 57

Chapter 14 Kill Your Culture 63

Chapter 15 Eastern Versus Western Medicine for Business 67

Chapter 16 Activity Beats Execution 71

Chapter 17 Your Goggles for Greatness 75

Chapter 18 Strategy and Execution 79

Chapter 19 The Team Trap 83

Chapter 20 To Tweet or Not to Tweet 87

Chapter 21 Bad Goals 91

Chapter 22 Continuous Turnaround 95

The Captain Has Turned Off the Seatbelt Sign

Chapter 23 Accelerant for Your Thinking 99

Chapter 24 Authenticity 105

Chapter 25 Leadership Is an "Inside Job" 109

Chapter 26 Humility Not Hubris 111

Chapter 27 Moments of Truth 115

Chapter 28 Thermonuclear Influence 119

Chapter 29 Flip the Pyramid 123

Chapter 30 The Last to Know 127

Chapter 31 Volunteers Versus Employees 131

Chapter 32 Duty Versus Responsibility 135

Chapter 33 Go for Broke 137

Chapter 34 Your Uber Weapon-Emulation! 141

Chapter 35 Be the Lore 143

Touchdown

Chapter 36 The "L" Word 149

Chapter 37 Trust 151

Index 155

About the Author 163

Editorial Reviews

“Dick Cross sees around corners and recognizes patterns others miss. Easy to read!” — John C. Adams, past chairman and CEO, AutoZone, Inc.

“I’ve watched Dick Cross work his turnaround magic as CEO of four Breckenridge businesses. There’s nothing average about Dick or about how he does his work. In 60-Minute CEO he shows you how in a refreshingly engaging way.” — Larry Williams, founder and managing partner, The Breckenridge Group

“Dick’s ability to look at a company from 10,000 feet and dissect the meaningful issues of leadership is quite frankly, revolutionary. This book reveals the secrets of how he’s unlocked hidden greatness as the CEO of nine underperforming businesses, and taught others to do the same. And, therefore, is worth its weight in gold! — Wm Bew White, president and CEO, Summer Classics

“So you think you know how to lead a business? Not until you’ve read this hard-hitting book and put Dick’s lessons into practice. His insights from two and a half decades leading turnarounds, teaching and, consulting are clear and compelling—and a multiplier to the effectiveness of any leader who touches them.” — Jon Osgood, cofounder and managing member, Cutlass Capital, LLC

“It’s rare to meet someone so insightful and genuine that you can't help but follow his advice simply because he gave it to you. Dick Cross is such a person. Follow the advice offered in this book and learn how to become an exceptional leader.” — Ty Kiisel, Forbes columnist; Director of Content Marketing, Lendio.com; author of Getting a Business Loan: Financing Your Main Street Business

From the Publisher