to connect with people from other sectors of society through their
involvement in community and charitable causes. The relation-
ships they develop enable them to call each other for advice or to
test ideas. Some CEOs connect informally with key industry or
business counterparts to explore opportunities and scenarios for
partnerships, alliances, or mergers. They use these “explorations”
as learning opportunities, gaining new strategic perspectives on
their business and on potential new directions for growth.
CEOs Learn from Positive Deviants
They constantly expose themselves to new ideas and perspectives.
They surround themselves with people who think differently, who
can help them reframe what they see and think, or who can make
connections that they would not spontaneously make. They do
that, for example, by inviting people to be on their boards and by
networking with people who have drastically different back-
grounds. They connect with people outside of their traditional
playing field (for instance, in social settings) to engage their senses
in different ways (as opposed to the intellectual mode that they rely
on almost exclusively in their business setting). They also stretch
their thinking by spending time with creative people within their
organization in “blue-sky” conversations around emerging issues or
challenges.
CEOs Cast Their Knowledge Net Widely
They are avid readers who explore topics well outside their own
business domain. They encourage their executive team members to
stretch their minds in similar ways. They draw on summaries from
articles, books, and reports to keep up on trends, developments,
and issues. They create networks of people across the organization
that exchange information and intelligence in areas they have
identified as key to their knowledge and effectiveness. This “exec-
utive information system” is designed for them and their teams to
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