Simple Rules for Joining the C-Suite

The thing to remember about being a CEO is that there is much to remember! For example: Have a plan; Hire well; Be prepared, personally and professionally; Build a (figurative) kitchen cabinet; Remember that feedback is a gift; Remember why you’re here; Take the long view; Drive your agenda; And, if you’re thinking about it, do it.

All of this guidance, and more, came from the cumulative experiences of the CEOs presenting the What I Wish I Knew Before Stepping Into the C-Suite session at APTA’s TRANSform conference. HDR sponsored the session.

Frank White, president & CEO, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, stressed having a strategic plan to help guide the work, and sometimes, to defend it. Follow the plan, he advised, publish it on your website, “go out and do the charrettes. You let them know what you’re doing and you’re transparent, so they know where you’re trying to go …. So you’re never inconsistent in what you say to the public.”

Asked what made a good day for a transit CEO, Richard Davey, CEO, Massachusetts Port Authority, joked that it was “Survival.” He added, “A good day is if you were able to move your agenda forward a little bit, a lot, whatever, because you do get a lot of distractions,” such as elected officials and transit advocates with competing priorities. To avoid those conflicts, he said, “We arm ourselves all the time with customer service data. This is what your constituents are telling us. This is what our customers are telling us. At the end of the day, our customers are telling us this, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Davey, and moderator Monica Backmon, CEO, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, discussed building a kitchen cabinet of advisors in the industry and being a part of someone’s kitchen cabinet.

“There are people who have been there, done that, and they are invested in your success,” said Backmon.

Nadine Lee, president & CEO, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, jumped in to say people shouldn’t worry about asking too much of mentors, who can decide that for themselves. “We do it [serve as mentors] because we know that sharing our knowledge will actually advance the entire industry,” she said.

Lee’s final advice to aspiring CEOs was also about surrounding yourself with good people, by hiring well. “Be willing to be the dumbest one in the room,” she said. “When you hire well, your job gets much easier.”

View more images from TRANSform.