ABSTRACT
The biggest gasps I provoke, along with the coldest looks, come when I oer my opinion that the Job at the Top is less than a full-time occupation. Dramatically less.
In chapter 3, under the heading “inking,” I made the point that most CEOs spend considerable time doing things they knew how to do before they got their current jobs: nancial management, sales, production, R&D, and the like. A signicant portion of the rest of their time is taken up informing outsiders-including investors, lenders, trade press, suppliers, and the government-about the state of the company, a task that oen spurs debilitating stress because of a need to paint a picture that’s better than reality. e remainder of a CEO’s time is typically devoted to administrative responsibilities, such as approving documents, updating the team, approving others’ decisions, and serving as the ocial spokesperson for the organization.
