Is playing golf important to your business?
Don't look for these CEOs crowding the fairways. You won't find many closing deals on the ninth hole. Although all report entertaining clients on expense accounts, only 23% who answered our survey say playing golf is important to their business. There is nothing wrong with wining and dining customers, they unanimously agree, but who has time to play golf in the middle of the day? Corporate mavericks like John Kojak even defend an inalienable right not to play golf. "I left the last company I worked for because they told me I had to play golf," says Kojak, the founder of Phoenix Millwork & Manufacturing (#428), in Beaumont, Tex. Most CEOs, however, see nothing wrong with wooing customers on the golf course, even if they have little time for it themselves. "It's a very civilized way to get acquainted with clients," says L. O. Ward of Ward Petroleum (#125), in Enid, Okla.
WIMPS OR WHAT?
Are today's workers losing the work ethic?
If there's a productivity problem in this country, don't blame the employees working on the line. U.S. workers aren't wimps. U.S. managers are. That's what more than two-thirds of the CEOs surveyed tell us, in a surprising critique of corporate leadership. Sixty-four percent say their employees don't want too much; 70% say employees aren't losing their work ethic; and 68% say employees don't deserve to have their bosses ride them harder. Instead, what U.S. companies need to compete is better leadership. "Mediocre management is epidemic," says Ron Daugherty of Digital Systems Consultants (#110), in St. Louis. "The problem is that managers often fail to give clear direction and show how success will be measured." Maybe the demands of fast growth have made these CEOs more appreciative and empathetic. "When bosses perform all the tasks in the business, they learn what it's like for an employee," says Jack Robinson, CEO of Nutech Laundry & Textiles (#457), in Hyattsville, Md.
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ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS
Have attitudes changed about the importance of small companies?
Sixty percent of the CEOs surveyed say that, no question about it, the status of small companies isn't what it used to be. They report being treated differently by government, by large companies, and by banks. But the question remains: are the changes for better or worse?
One-third say they detect a new attitude in government, but they can't agree on whether there has been an improvement. In contrast, more than half indicate that big companies' attitudes toward smaller partners have improved. As a result, it's easier doing business with the Fortune 500, they say. When it comes to banks, alas, the love -- if it ever existed -- has long grown cold. A disappointed majority (78%) complain that banks have turned sour on small companies. That's been true even for profitable, $20-million companies such as Technology Works (#4). Of course, calling (Austin) Texas home doesn't help matters. CEO Mike Frost uses one word to describe the status of small-business banking there: "Nonexistent."
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QUOTATIONS FROM THE CHAIRMEN
If you became chairman of General Motors, what's the first thing you'd do?
When we put that question to our Inc. 500 CEOs, most answered decisively:
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"Put on a suit. I've never worn a suit."
-- Jim Miller,
The Rigging Co. (#385),
Portsmouth, R.I.
"I wouldn't close any plants in Flint, Michigan."
-- Mike Frost,
Technology Works (#4),
Austin, Tex.
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"Resign."
-- Thomas Casten,
Trigen Energy (#70),
White Plains, N.Y.
"Test-drive the latest Corvette on the track."
-- William Dolan,
Tanktest (#88),
Marlton, N.J.
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"Commit suicide."
-- Jim Juranitch,
Power-Tek (#180),
Farmington Hills, Mich.
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"Make the best damn resignation speech ever."
-- Don Soults,
Routing Technology Software (#232),
Vienna, Va.
NO NEW CANDIDATE
Is there anyone you would prefer to George Bush as president?
With an election year upon us, we couldn't resist inquiring about the presidential preferences of these decision makers. We asked CEOs of growth companies to name one leader from any field -- candidate or not -- whom they would favor over George Bush. Relax, George, many say they'd vote for you, anyway -- although one respondent would rather have the First Lady take command. Here's how the votes were cast:
George Bush, 22%; Lee Iacocca, 12%; don't know, 9%; Ross Perot, 6%; Robert Dole, 5%; Norman Schwarzkopf, 4%; Colin Powell, 4%; Dick Cheney, 3%; James Baker, 2%; Sam Walton, 2%.
Dispelling pollsters' suspicions about the validity of our survey are three CEOs who took the question seriously and suggested themselves for the Oval Office. Our favorite picks include Madonna, Clint Eastwood, Warren Buffet, Billy Graham, and should that most final of retirements prove too dull, the return of Abraham Lincoln and Malcolm Forbes Sr.
