{"id":2307,"date":"2014-11-17T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2014-11-17T17:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2307"},"modified":"2014-11-17T12:00:41","modified_gmt":"2014-11-17T17:00:41","slug":"trustgiving-2014-what-getting-fired-taught-this-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2307","title":{"rendered":"TrustGiving 2014: What Getting Fired Taught This CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"TrustGiving<\/a><\/div>\n
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Welcome to\u00a0TRUSTGiving 2014<\/a>, our first annual weeklong trust awareness campaign. \u00a0Join the\u00a0Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts<\/a>\u00a0as we help our\u00a0readers navigate the complexities of trust. During the week\u00a0we will be blogging (several times a day) and posting on Twitter #TrustGiving2014.<\/p>\n

Bob Vanourek is a former CEO of 5 firms. What happened when he got fired?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was in my late-20\u2019s, I was CEO of a small company owned by a venture-capital firm in California that had hired me. We had a great run over a few years, taking the firm from $1 million in revenue to almost $4 million, and I was hoping we might \u201cgo public.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Then I was told by the venture capitalists that they had sold the firm to a larger company. I was shocked. After the sale, I had a chip on my shoulder, which showed in my behavior at the new firm. I was a pain-in-the butt.<\/em><\/p>\n

One day the Group VP to whom I reported arrived in town and fired me. What an embarrassment in the small town where we lived. No outplacement services in those days. I was just out.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

One of my direct reports was named CEO, and I learned my officers had all been interviewed for my job before I was canned. How untrustworthy they had been.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then I heard a radio jingle:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLove many; trust few; and always paddle your own canoe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s me,\u201d I said. People betrayed me, so, I\u2019ll trust few.<\/em><\/p>\n

I operated that way for a while but soon realized, when I showed I didn\u2019t trust people, then they didn\u2019t trust me. As my friends, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner say, leaders go first.<\/em><\/p>\n

To lead, I had to regain a positive attitude and extend trust first.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Bob Vanourek<\/strong> is the former CEO of five firms from a start-up to a billion dollar NY stock exchange turnaround. He is an organizational consultant and is one of Trust Across America\u2019s Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior<\/a>. He is the co-author of the award-winning book Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations. <\/em>www.triplecrownleadership.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Barbara Brooks Kimmel<\/strong>\u00a0is the Executive Director of\u00a0Trust Across America-Trust Around the World<\/a>\u00a0whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning\u00a0TRUST INC.<\/a>\u00a0book series and the Executive Editor of\u00a0TRUST! Magazine<\/a>. In 2012 Barbara was named \u201cOne of 25 Women Changing the World\u201d by Good Business International.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2014 Next Decade, Inc.<\/p>\n