The concept
Business leaders and executives are high powered, rapid decision engines, but we know very little about why, what and how they think. I want to look underneath the jargon-filled soundbites at what myths and beliefs inspire those decisions, how they live, how they understand themselves as actors on the grand stage, where they believe the next act will play out, and paths young people can take to create a decent future.
These are the people that shape our world, and I want to step back with them and take the long view.
Target interviewees
F500 CxOs, initially non-CEOs. Likely a focus on non-tech executives who already get a disproportionate amount of focus
How to execute
Initially do 6 over Skype and if they all work, publish simultaneously and do blogger/media/B school outreach. If successful, pitch to F500 CxOs and offer to come to their HQs and do a live interview with some of their high potentials and allow for Q/A from audience.
Sample questions
- Did you always want to be a CxO?
- I know you (insert some brief history), but tell me about your path to where you are now. (Follow up on how influential event affects how they view X)
- What do you think about YOU caused you to end up at the top of a global organization, rather than XX?
- How do you structure your day/time?
- In any way of living there are tradeoffs, executives aren’t exempted. What are the major tradeoffs you feel you make in your life?
- What do you see as your core purpose as ROLE at ORG?
- What big theories are inspiring your work at ORG?
- Who do you think are the brightest lights in the business/strategy/marketing/operations world?
- What are the last 3 books you’ve read? (find out in advance and read them)
- What are the 3 books that underpin your view the business and the world? (find out in advance and read them)
- How do you see American enterprise’s role in the world?
- What are the 3 greatest forces operating in the world right now? (Dig on positive/negative)
- What are the 3 greatest challenges facing the world as you see it? (Dig on how they interpreted–welfare, growth, environment, etc)
- What role do you see college playing in the future?
- Given your view on X and Y, how should people think about prioritizing their careers?
- If you were in a top business school, and dead set on climbing to a Fortune 500 C suite, what advice would you give yourself?
- Will X exist in 10 years? 20?
- If you could be a young person and move anywhere, where would it be and why?
- In lots of ways, the status of large enterprises has fallen in American society’s estimation (exempting large tech orgs), do you think this is fair-compared to the status GE had in say the 70s?
- Large orgs are often disparaged as slow and uninnovative. This is almost treated as a law of nature. What dynamics do you think give rise to this perception? In what ways is this perception false?