“ I DON ’ T EVER PUT UP AN OUT-OF-OFFICE MESSAGE . MY IPHONE AND IPAD ARE ALMOST NEVER MORE THAN A FEW FEET AWAY FROM ME .”
SPECIAL REPORT : TODAY ’ S CEO
Not all CEOs see this cross-market cherry-picking trend in a positive light , however . MPS Puri , founder and CEO of Nira Hotels & Resorts , questions how much numbers-driven executives understand the products and services they oversee . “ Take somebody like John Scott from Orient-Express Hotels . He can make a great presentation to an investor , but does he really understand operations ? No ,” he argues .
Day in the life Given the many different ways to the top , it comes as no surprise the priorities of the job have also become more individualistic . There ’ s no one pinstriped caricature that suits all . The expectations of the board and the mission statement of the company dictate how the CEO structures his or her working days as much as that person ’ s own mission statement .
Stephen Joyce , CEO of Choice Hotels International , points out that technology has captured his focus . “ I probably spend about 60 % of my time on it in one way or another ,” he says . On the other end of the scale , Priya Paul , chairperson of the Apeejay Surrendra Group ’ s The Park Hotels chain , puts her individual stamp on almost every aspect of each hotel ’ s design .
Whatever their strong suits , one thing that unites most CEOs is that unplugging is never an option . “ I don ’ t ever put up an out-of-office message ,” says Paul Whetsell , CEO , Loews Hotels , New York City . “ My iPhone and iPad are almost never more than a few feet away from me .”
Maybe it ’ s because CEOs feel they ’ re on call 24 / 7 . Some industry insiders blame a general loss of confidence in
“ I DON ’ T EVER PUT UP AN OUT-OF-OFFICE MESSAGE . MY IPHONE AND IPAD ARE ALMOST NEVER MORE THAN A FEW FEET AWAY FROM ME .”
– PAUL WHETSELL , LOEWS HOTELS
public officials , and most agree the recession played its part in extending the work day from dawn to dawn . But one of the biggest post-2008 changes is that the person in the corner office is much more accountable to everyone — board , investor or customer — than ever before . “ Boards no longer can sit back and let the CEO / chairman dictate company direction ,” Kefgen notes . “ Activist investors have also made it more difficult for boards and CEOs to brush off poor financial performance . The report card is harder and shorter today .”
“ Everybody has the right to grade your paper now ,” Joyce says . He adds that greater transparency demands
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