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2011/02 - Gill South: For some chief executives, it's more than a job - it's a vocation

February 21, 2011

Gill South, NZHerald.co.nz

There are definite parallels between school principals and CEOs, says Marc Burrage, executive general manager of recruitment company Hudson NZ. In both cases, you are "shaping people's lives".

"Both are custodians of people in their duty of care for a period of time," he says. The best legacy you can leave is for your staff to say: "That's the best place I worked in my career".

Private companies are better suited to CEOs with vocational traits, says Burrage. They are more comfortable with a long-term vision.

A public company is more challenging, with shareholders and the board focused on the short-term results. "It is very difficult to satisfy these demands and build a longer-term view, secure in the knowledge that it will come to fruition," he says.

"Some CEOs who don't deliver short-term results become the fall guys."

Simon O'Shaughnessy, a mentor to chief executives at The Executive Connection (TEC), identifies DTR managing director Mark Spring as an example of a vocational CEO.

Read the full story at nzherald.co.nz