This one-of-a-kind program is designed for those who aspire to master the skills needed to lead today’s organizations – whether you are already there or on your way up. And the truth is: in order to get there, you must know what is required once you arrive.

We succeed when we know the rules of the game, what deficiencies to address, what talents to optimize and what values to live by. And we only accomplish this through realistic self-assessment, the acquisition of certain critical leadership traits, an adherence to some fundamental affirmations and a workable plan of action.

This practical, intensive, provocative, highly interactive learning experience is the creation of Dr. Jim Murray, who has led both large and small organizations in the public and private sectors. He has a remarkable track record of helping senior executives and over 600 organizations achieve their often underappreciated potential. His life’s quest over 40 years of exemplary practice is to liberate personal genius and change lives.

Like all Jim’s courses, the format is highly practical, reflective of the latest research, and interactive. You are encouraged to discuss business challenges with each other in confidence. You will receive a pre-course workbook with readings and are expected to complete certain tasks prior to your arrival. The following is an outline of most of the topics to be covered in 2013:

The Opportunity and the Realities of CEOdom

• Why not you? Lesson #1 – the reasons why CEOs get fired
• The difference between “the good” and “the very best” CEOs
• Uncomfortable truths and other gritty realities of being the top dog
• The CEO disease: Acknowledging the affliction of high achievers
• What will disqualify you as a leader (even before you begin)

The Challenges of Leadership

• The challenges CEOs face: Inside, outside and in the future
• Leadership in the C-suite: What it is and what it is not
• The critical intelligences that separate leaders from pretenders
• Achieving CEO and organizational clarity: The leader’s mantra
• Leader or manager: Defining the CEO’s role and purpose
• Understanding organizational DNA: The critical ‘genes’
• Developing strategic intelligence, foresight and symbiosis
• The CEO’s primary role in ensuring organizational effectiveness
• Avoiding bad strategies and reordering the business agenda
• How to achieve and reinforce organizational clarity

Getting There – The Plan, the Tools and the Obstacles

• Getting to the top: The six essential ingredients of success
• Are you really CEO material? A realistic self-assessment
• The tools: Creating your map and setting your compass
• Getting advice, getting noticed and being effective
• Self-promotion: Building a differentiated brand
• Reconciling the paradoxes of becoming the top dog
• Self-motivation and willpower: Sustaining the drive
• Achieving mindfulness: Dealing with the ego traps
• Acquiring and using power: Playing smartly and with integrity
• How to thrive in the interview and deal with trick questions
• Doing your due diligence and determining the culture fit
• Figuring out ‘the first 100 days’ before you even arrive

Staying There – Perfecting the Key Skills

• The CEO entrance exam: Did you pass or fail?
• You’ve arrived: Where to begin, what to do, how to do it
• Letting go: Separating yourself from the pack
• The action plan for Day 1, Week 1 and beyond
• First impressions: How to speak to the troops
• Vision and Values: Misunderstood and misused tools
• Assessing your team: Determining the keepers from the rest
• Building a talented, cohesive, focused executive team
• Designing the optimal span of control: Defining the key roles
• Eleven questions you need to regularly ask your senior team
• Leading really bright people who know more than you do
• Keeping the high impact performers happy and in check
• Developing a symbiotic relationship with your Board

The CEO as Chief Decision Maker

• Speed bumps that can derail a CEO’s best efforts
• Three decision domains that will make or break you
• Avoiding the echo chamber: The value of dissent
• The CEO’s Achilles heel: Dealing with resistance
• Creating a powerful team decision-making culture
• Smart tools that enhance decision making and accountability
• Dealing with experts: Common errors and traps to avoid
• Making the really tough calls that define a good CEO
• Building risk management intelligence and capability
• Getting and giving feedback that makes a difference

Beyond the First Quarter

• Dealing with crises and forecasting high-impact surprises
• Building smart organizations: What CEOs need to know
• Fostering a culture of resilience by embracing intelligent failure
• Revising the business model: Defining thick customer value
• Smart growth: Achieving sustainable competitive advantage
• What ultimately constrains organizational performance today

The Responsibility of Leadership

• Dealing with ethical dilemmas: The slippery slope
• Succession planning, mentorship and developing talent
• Walking the talk: Getting there and staying there
• Dr. Jim’s commandments for career CEOs
• The gems you absolutely have to know to stay there
• Becoming a CEO: The defining questions (and the answers)
• What you can’t be taught but must learn for yourself
• Going forward: Sustaining the commitment to excellence

Program fees include the program itself, materials, meals and accommodations*.

An early-bird discount of $200 is available for registering 60 days in advance of the program start.

*Please note: A limited number of program spots are available to those who do not wish to have accommodations. As there may be evening activities (group work and/or networking opportunities), this option is recommended only for those who reside nearby.

Becoming CEO (and Staying There) will be held at the White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa, a premium, four diamond, five-star resort that has achieved a reputation for outstanding comfort, service and atmosphere to ensure a memorable learning and retreat experience for all executives who attend.

Program fees include meals, accommodations*, wi-fi access, use of basic fitness facilities, and a hospitality room for evening networking opportunities.

*Excluding registrants who have opted for the non-accommodation option.

Getting There:

From Pearson or Buffalo airports:

The Niagara Airbus offers Shuttle Transfers to and from Toronto’s Pearson and Buffalo Niagara’s International Airports and can drop you off right at the facility front doors. If you book on-line you can get a 10% discount for Airport transfers. The Niagara Airbus website is www.niagaraairbus.com.

Another option is the Falls Livery & Taxi. They can offer private cars for transport to and from the airport as well. They can be reached at 905-356-4500.

From Toronto:

Average time to drive from Toronto to the Resort is an hour and a half*. Click here for a Google Map and directions.

*Please note that these directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly.

Our alumni include participants from the following organizations:

Al Ghurair Group, Rogers Media, Bell Canada, CMN Global, York Central Hospital, Halton Region, The London Community Foundation, Bermuda Press Holdings, Dentsu Canada, Kinross Gold, and many others.

Here is what some had to say about the Becoming CEO program:

• It provided a candid, intensive glimpse into what it takes to be a CEO, what it’s like on the ground.
• This course is rich in practical advice and not a prescriptive textbook/classroom experience.
• This is not the end of a course for me, but the beginning of my life.
• Helped me understand things that might be inhibiting my performance and provided me with an arsenal of tools to help me overcome those inhibitions.
• This course is an important catalyst in motivating/enabling me to prepare for the highest levels of leadership.
• Gave me a needed smack on the side of the head and helped me confirm it’s time to formalize my lead role or move on.
• The program gave me relevant, current, distilled research, an abundance of valued information for reflection and working tools for many years to come.
• This mini-MBA has the street smarts that just can’t be taught in regular business school.

For more information please contact Lawrence Wong, CPA, CA, at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, at: 1-800-387-0735 ext. 343, or at lwong@icao.on.ca.