Stephen H Baum Leadership

When I interviewed W. Grant Gregory, the former Chairman of Deloitte Touche for my book (see elsewhere on my site) about developing one’s leadership traits, he stressed the importance of having your own personal board of directors. These are successful people who provide advice and constructive criticism and may connect you to an opportunity. It was not a theoretical concept. Whenever he interviewed candidates to join Deloitte, he would ask them to name their PBoD and would also ask if the people on it knew they were on it.

For the past few years, successful CEOs have accepted my invitation to an interview and student Q&A to explore what life experiences shaped their ability to lead, what defined their management philosophy and how they approach today’s tough challenges. Mike Critelli, who was CEO of Pitney Bowes at the time, was one of those. Mike not only transformed the company from postage meters to a much broader document company, he has been one of the go-to guys in postal reform and health care reform. So it would be very special for you to have him on your personal board of directors. To get a sense of Mike, view the video (right side of website) in which he speaks about being a tough boss and the truth-telling he expects.

Soon, some time in 2009, there will be a library of CEO interviews and excerpts and you will have a sort of personal board of directors who speak to you about character, trust, reputation, self-confidence, team-building, strategy, negotiation and much, much more.

If you find the video and the idea valuable, please tell your friends. If you have suggestions, tell me.