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2013 Best & Worst States for Business

In Chief Executive’s ninth annual survey of CEO opinion of Best and Worst States in which to do business, Texas leads the way while Florida edges closer; Arizona and Nevada move up while California sinks lower in CEOs’ estimation. Business leaders see states moving on pro-growth policies faster than Washington.

 JP Donlon Best & Worst States May 6 2013

Five Questions Board Members Need to Ask About Cloud Computing

Board members are hearing more and more from their management teams about the noteworthy business benefits of cloud computing, such as: Cloud strategies make the enterprise more efficient and agile. Cloud computing allows delivered services to be more innovative and more competitive. Cloud computing reduces overall operating costs. But how confident can boards be that management plans will achieve these benefits? Is there a way to know that, even if the benefits are real, increased operational risk will not outweigh those benefits? Fortunately, by understanding what cloud is and what it is not and by asking a few key questions of management teams, boards can gain that confidence—in management plans and strategic goals, as well as in the decisions made in response to those plans.

 ChiefExecutive.net CEO Briefing Newsletter May 2 2013

Leaving a Legacy: Embedding Success—and Succession—In Your Organization

How difficult is it for a company to remain on the Fortune 500 list? Jim Collins, of Built to Last fame, wrote in 2008 that since the list’s inception, nearly 2,000 companies have appeared on it—and only 71 companies from the original 1955 list were still running strong. The Kauffman Foundation, in a recent report, noted that after seeing relatively low turnover in the 1960s and 70s, Fortune 500 turnover accelerated to new highs in the 80s and 90s. And Peter Senge of MIT’s Sloan School of Management writes that the average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company is only about 30 years. With such an uneven record, any successful CEO preparing to depart from his or her company should rightly be concerned about the legacy he or she is leaving behind—but that legacy is about far more than the CEO.

 Randy Ottinger CEO Briefing Newsletter May 2 2013

Four Fundamentals of Revenue Growth

With recovery from the recession still moving at a snail’s pace, how worried should you be about your company’s future revenue growth? In a word: very. “But wait,” you might say. “Corporate profits are at their highest levels in 60 years, with profitability as a percentage of GDP at an all-time high of 10.3 percent. Companies are holding trillions in cash reserves, and are looking stronger than ever after squeezing every dollar of cost they could find out of their operations over the past four years.” This is correct, but it fails to tell the whole story.

Laurie Brunner CEO Briefing Newsletter May 2 2013

Why CEOs Must be Ninja Innovators

Successful innovators often rely on instructive failure, particularly when it tempers success and corrects for arrogance. Ninja innovators never stop learning from others.

 Gary Shapiro CEO Briefing Newsletter April 29 2013

How Smart Manufacturing Changes Everything

Automation of processes that increase yield and raise productivity, is the core of what people think of when they speak of smart manufacturing. Smart is not limited to process change but opens the door to the use of new materials. Rather than stocking inventory 3-D printing capability allows custom built job-lots of one. Smart is certainly transforming manufacturing but it also transforms companies themselves. Witness Valin Corp. a San Jose supplier to the semiconductor that nearly perished in the wake of the dotcom bust of 2001.

 ChiefExecutive.net CEO Briefing Newsletter April 25 2013

Stock Market’s Rise May Be Producing Crop of Very Cautious CEOs, Study of Stock Options Suggests

With the stock market surge over the past several years, executive stock options awarded near the bottom of the market are worth small – or not so small – fortunes. How does this affect the way CEOs run their companies? A hefty increase in options’ paper value may lead to sharp decrease in risk-taking

 ChiefExecutive.net CEO Briefing Newsletter April 25 2013

Six Myths About Venture Capital Offer Dose of Reality to Startups

Venture capital is the exception, not the norm, as a funding source for startups. More VC-backed new companies fail than succeed, and since 1999 VC funds have barely broken even. Those are just some of the myth-busting facts revealed by Diane Mulcahy, director of private equity at the Kauffman Foundation and a former VC herself, in the May issue of the Harvard Business Review that focuses on entrepreneurship.

ChiefExecutive.net CEO Briefing Newsletter April 25 2013

How to Avoid the Seven Sins of Customer Experience

Customer experience can ultimately be an organization’s primary competitive advantage, if it is managed correctly. Exceptional customer service produces loyal customers who buy more, refer friends, resist special offers from competitors and forgive the occasional mistake. A new research report on customer experience sheds new light on the “seven sins” of customer experience — key missteps that make organizations stumble when it comes to customer interaction.

 Sharon Daniels CEO Briefing Newsletter , Leadership & Strategy April 18 2013

Most CEOs Rise Early; Few Complain About Work/Life Balance

The Guardian newspaper’s Tim Dowling, Laura Barnett and Patrick Kingsley spoke to seven CEOs including AOL, Vodafone, Virgin Money, and Ericsson about their work/life habits and learned than most CEOs start their day by rising as early as 5:00 Am in order to sort through their commitments. The reporters sought to learn how seven successful people manage their affairs and become high effective.

 ChiefExecutive.net CEO Briefing Newsletter , Leadership & Strategy April 18 2013

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