Role of an effective executive

‘get the right things done’:

Premasara Epasinghe - BA (Cey) Dip in Ed. Dip in Mktg Lecturer)

The job of an executive is to be effective. Therefore, “to effect” and “To Execute” are near synonyms or a word or phrase with the same meaning an Executive is expected to “get the right things done”. Today, in the business world many organizations, firms and most of the blue chip companies, have created a top post known as The Chief Executive Officer – CEO one who is overall in charge of the said organization or firm.

In selecting a CEO, a company or organization should always choose an educated, intelligent, knowledgeable and an intellectual personality with a fine “Track Record”. He should be a charming personality who loves the organization and a dedicated character.

Intelligence, imagination and knowledge are essential ingredients. It is the effectiveness that turms or converts them in to result. Here, the most important factor of an excellent CEO is that he should be a man of honesty and integrity.

A person by virtue of his position or knowledge who is responsible for a contribution that materially affects the capacity of the organization to perform and bring results can be considered as an executive.

In Guerrilla War, “They say that every man is an executive. In fact, “executives” can be defined as people, who have no time of their own, because, their time is always pre-empted by matters of importance to somebody else.

To be an executive who is effective there are basically five practices and habits, one should follow.

Managing their time effectively, focus on outward contribution, build or strengths of superiors, colleagues, subordinates and strength in the situation. Effective executives concentrate where excellent performance will produce outstanding results, and last but not the lest, effective executives finally make effective decisions.

The word efficient, according to Management, jargon means using resources wisely in a cost effective way. For example, world famous Toyota Motor Corporation produces high quality products at a relatively low cost is efficient. Effective means making right decisions and successfully implementing them.

The role of an effective executive, or effective manager, primary responsibility is to carry out the management process effectively and efficiently. A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives between wrong and right effective executive encourages opinions. The first rule in decision-making is that one does not make a decision unless there is disagreement.

Effective Presidents in American history has had his own method of producing the disagreement he needed in order to make an effective decision. Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Frandlin D Roosevelt, Harnz Trumen each had his own ways but each created the disagreement he needed for some understanding of what the decision is all about.

If you observe effective executives, they start with Time, not Planning. What is the discretionary time? It is (1) Recording time (2) Managing time (3) Consolidating time. These time factors are the foundation of executive effectiveness. One must understand that time is also an important, vital, unique resource. It is totally irreplaceable. As you are aware everything requires time.

The effective executive focusses on contribution. Effective executives never ask “How does he get alone with me?” There question is “What does he contribute?” Even strong executives always have strong weaknesses. One must realize, where there peaks, there are valleys. No one is strong in many areas. In today’s business environment, executive effectiveness is one of the best hope to make modern society productive economically and viable socially.

The effective executive or CEO never wastes time. Some inefficient organizations rely on excess meetings. With my personal experience as an executive or senior manager, common time-waster is malorganization meetings are a concession to deficient organization.

In Sri Lanka, there are too many meetings. For example if you want

to contact the CEO, him or her secretary most of the time will say “He is at a meeting”. I believe, on the principle, you either “meets” or “work”. Through experience, I can state, some inefficient CEO’s, are more interested in time-waste tactics-meetings than work. I agree, you must meet at least once a fortnight with short formal or informal follow-up meetings.

The meetings have to be exceptions rather than rule. If everybody in an organization meets all the time, it is an organization in which no one gets anything done.

I presume, as a rule meeting should never be allowed to become the main demand on an executives time. Too many meetings are a clear indication and bespeak poor structure of jobs and wrong organizational components.