Don't blow your opportunity to present to your CEO

I will sometimes interview executives who have left, or are about to leave an organization because they feel there is a dis-connect between themselves and the CEO.  There is sometimes a sense that they are being ignored, or that their ideas are not being considered or that they are being disrespected because of a failure to implement their ideas or concepts.  Because my job allows me to see people presenting themselves on the subject that they know best (Themselves), I often wonder if the disconnect is on the candidates end instead of on the CEO’s end.

How do you effectively present an idea to a CEO?

Let’s look at the most common personality traits of effective CEO’s.

1.            Passionate Curiosity.  They ask the “why” questions. 

2.            Battle-hardened Confidence. They have dealt with adversity and have overcome it.

3.            Team Smarts. They sense how people react and how they will work together.

4.            A Simple Mind-Set Approach.  They look for the shortest route from point A to point B and they do not get caught up with distractions.

5.            Fearlessness. They have the ability to take calculated risks and be uncomfortable.

All five of these characteristics need to be considered when developing a presentation for a CEO but special attention needs to be placed on point #4.

I have preached about the importance of executive summaries before, but it is suicide if they are not practiced when speaking with a CEO.  Time is usually limited so an effective presentation is needed to keep a CEO engaged.  Use STAR methodology if necessary when building your presentation (Situation, Task, Action, Result) if it will keep you in track.  Even if the presentation is not scheduled and there is no opportunity to use presentation aids, it is vital to ensure that a presentation is practised before the presentation.

A tight presentation that is able to predict and answer the “why” questions from a CEO can work wonders for one’s career.

Do not get caught up in details.  It is one of the biggest pet-peeves of CEO’s.  If you are so inclined to discuss project details, that can be done at a later meeting and probably more appropriate for a meeting where the CEO will not be present.  Focus on getting the CEO’s approval for a follow up meeting.  The keys are usually the strategy and concepts that will affect the company’s bottom line.

Farewell,

Mike