Welcome to
Creating Extraordinary Organizations by Unleashing the Exponential Power of Passion & Purpose.
So, you're the new CEO
You've got 90 days
to align and engage your people
in an unsettled world.
GO!
Introducing CEOing for the 21st Century
TM
The Art & Science of Creating Extraordinary Organizations
No matter where your organization is in its life cycle, you've got 90 days to quickly and powerfully realign and engage it in a new vision of the future. Your vision. So what's next? CEOing is a proven technology. Created for CEOs by CEOs. It's a powerful way forward.
Energize
Inspire Your People
Get clear about your strategic
and cultural vision for the organization.
Engage
Multiply Their Genius
Sequentially align your senior leaders, managers and the entire team around your vision.
Endure
Create Resilience
Set your company into a sustainable and productive rhythm of continuous improvement.
Who We Help
New CEOs who need to quickly
realign and engage their enterprise to a new vision of the future
Each individual is much more than meets the eye. And so are the organizations we belong to. This has always been true but, now, more than at any other time in human history, we have the capability to unleash this hidden human potential to become the contribution we want it to be. And we can do it without all the struggle, drama, and pain normally related to organizational change.
Welcome to the future.
Is CEOing right for you?
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If you are new to the role.
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If you're new to the organization.
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If you have a sense of urgency.
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If you want a smooth transition.
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If you want to be a great CEO (Creator of an Extraordinary Organization)
Then the answer is YES.
What You Get
An extraordinary organization ready, willing, and able to take you anywhere your vision leads
We promise to help you quickly build
a sustainable enterprise capable of changing
the world for the better.
We promise you scalable systems and processes
fueled by the creativity and innovation
of passionately aligned and engaged people,
powerfully organized to succeed in
A Game Worth Playing.
This is what we deliver; this is what
you can count on us for.
How We Work
We don't train people, we engage them
Engaged people are aware, conscious of their surroundings, and curious enough to figure it out. Yet 70% of people are disengaged at work.
How do you quickly change that?
Business is about People, working with People,
making stuff for People.
B = P + P > S < P
The equation is simple. The stuff is never more important than your people. So engage them.
They will take you anywhere you want to go.
We Wrote the Book
Wondering what it's like to work with CEO2?
Check out The Accidental CEO by Tom Voccola for a peek behind
the scenes of a CEO2 engagement.
"As insightful as it is exciting, as instructive as it is fascinating, a solid CEO instruction manual, an exquisite tale."
- Jay Conrad Levinson, Author
Guerrilla Marketing series of books
"The Accidental CEO is extraordinary. This stuff needs to be taught in graduate schools."
- Dennis Gomes, Former CEO, Steve Wynn's Golden Nugget, Donald Trump's Taj Mahal and Tropicana Resorts, CEO, Gomes Casino Management
Our Testimonials
It's one thing to please the CEO, but what about the rest of the enterprise?
Here are real stories from CEOs, VPs, Managers, and Employees.
“CEO2 engages people in a way that ordinary management practice cannot. Every person in the company behaves differently than they did before. Their approach quickly helps the CEO align and engage people with the business plan at a level I have never seen before.”
Merritt Lutz, Former Chairman, Morgan Stanley Technology Holdings, NYC
"In a world where most acquisitions fail, CEO2 taught us how to integrate
12 companies in the past 9 years, successfully."
Mike Duran, CEO, Colibri Group, St Louis
"CEO2 has helped me create the kind of company that people want to work for and invest in. Their ability to generate enthusiasm and focus, combined with a reality-based, bottom-line approach to follow-through gives their work the one-two punch others are missing. Remarkably, their process is still making a difference nine years later."
E. Michael Thoben III, Former Chairman/CEO/President, Interlink Electronics
"CEO2 has a unique ability to take what might be and talk strategically with the CEO. They turn symptoms into strategy and help develop frameworks for execution. They brought us a process that we can use on any issue in a very inclusive way. And most importantly, they helped me instill the practice of servant leadership at every level in our organization. I’ve seen amazing development and blossoming of the people here. They feel loved and useful, and powerful. And that continues to translate into improved performance at every level in our firm.”
Alice Handy, Founder, Investure, LLC, Charlottesville, VA
“We all have our MBAs from Stanford and Kellogg. We know what’s going on in business. We read every book and have spent a lot of time as operators, so what could CEO2 possibly do for us? Well, when asked to look honestly, we had to admit we were running ourselves ragged and straining our home lives. After a Leadership Strategy Session that offered new insights that dramatically shifted our model, we signed up for a full engagement. Our firm grew from a $200 million private equity fund with no time for personal life to over $14 billion under management - with better relationships among the partners, portfolio-company CEOs, general partners, and an engaged and powerful team aligned with our vision and BHAG. Most importantly, we've got happy families.”
Graham Weaver, CEO, Alpine Investors, San Francisco
"Within a few years after I began working with CEO2, we moved to the top of our corporate portfolio of companies in terms of sales, productivity, and revenue. What's been most gratifying is that it's been the guys on the shop floor, the blue-collar workers, who have stepped forward as leaders and innovators to get the job done. We've come a long way. Thank you, CEO2."
Jim McGovern, President, Corona Clipper, Retired
"Purpose and Passion. Management gurus say we need it. Spiritual gurus say it's inside. But CEO2 show us how to access it. CEO2's work is extraordinary. This stuff needs to be taught in graduate school."
Dennis Gomes, CEO, Gomes Casino Management Company, Former CEO, Steve Wynn's Golden Nugget, Donald Trump's Taj Mahal, Tropicana Resorts
Sales guys don't get too excited about training. Over the past 30 years I've been to most of them. Intellectually stimulating, but rarely lasting. The way we were connected to one another as people. It made a profound difference to me personally as well as professionally."
Charles Beck, Vice President Sales, Business Engine
"CEO2 delivers powerful, unexpected, lasting results. I recommend them to any CEO who wants results, not just theories."
David Berg, CEO, BIG Idea Group, Las Vegas, NV
"When I first met CEO2, I faced critical decisions for myself and for the future of the department. The Los Angeles MTA Human Resources Department (120 professionals serving over 9000 staff) had seen a rash of Deputy Directors before me, and staff viewed me as just another body in the revolving door. The Department was described at the time as a toxic place to work. In my view, this was primarily the result of a poorly handled merger between two giant transportation authorities four years earlier. Overall, the Department was working hard yet creating more problems for itself than it was solving. That was three years ago. During and immediately after the CEO experience, I received almost universal support for my vision of what the department could be. From that day forward, using our internal training and development group to drive the process, we created the kind of environment we all wanted to work in. The CEO2 approach allowed me to point my people in a new direction. CEO2 helped me do that by rapidly transforming the group right before my very eyes."
Ray Inge, Former Director of Human Resources, Los Angeles MTA
"As the Director of the Department of Children and Family Services at the Ventura County Human Services Agency, I contracted with CEO2 in 1997 to initiate a major change in how we carried out our responsibilities as a Child Welfare Agency. Before our work with CEO2, our Department was in near-paralysis due to a major labor-management conflict. Key managers in the Department were committed to the traditional "top-down" management style. Our line staff had no voice in developing the Department's vision, mission, or values. There was great frustration among labor, and virtually no dialogue between management and labor. Through an extensive, intensive process, CEO2 facilitated a shift in management philosophy centered on empowering all staff in Children and Family Services. While this is not the place to describe the process itself, it is important to describe its outcomes. When I retired from the Agency in February 2001, the relationship between management and labor had improved dramatically. And today, in 2005, representatives from our staff believe they have a voice in decision-making and that their input is both respected and important to management. Labor believes this because many of their suggestions have been implemented in daily operations. Union and top management are working together in Sacramento as a team to advocate to the Governor for more social workers and higher salaries for those social workers. The level of trust between labor and management is at a level never before seen at our Department. This is directly attributable to the work of CEO2. Bottom line, Children and Family Services enjoyed a dramatic increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to clients as a consequence of our work with CEO2."
Frank Ferrata, Director, Ventura County Children & Family Services (Retired)
"CEO2 has an uncanny ability to get people at every level talking - and listening to one another at a much deeper level than the simple day-to-day banter. They take what they call the 'Surprise Factor' out of running an organization. CEO2 helped our senior staff relate to one another more meaningfully. It's made a clear difference in our ability to work together."
Rami Musallum, CEO, ThruPoint Technologies, Inc., New York City
"When I was first told we were going to participate in a leadership training my
first reaction was 'Good grief, days lost and meetings to suffer through'.
CEO was a pleasant surprise. The experience quickly united me with my co-
workers, and allowed us to genuinely define our mutual vision. I got to see how
personal and professional acknowledgment can strengthen a company, and
pave a clear path to our higher purpose as we recognize ourselves in one
another. CEO2 has a way of setting the room at ease, and before we
knew it, we were relating to each other and our most intimate passions toward
success."
Phyllis Rankin, Creative & Art Director, OEN Studios
"Defining my Purpose, Passion and Values helped me understand the Why of my
life. Living from Purpose rather than from Ego has made me a better leader, husband
and father."
- Preston Buck, VP European Operations, OEN
John Sims is an Engineer. Not prone to sharing in public. This is what he said at his staff meeting when asked about his CEO2 experience at the manager retreat by some who had not done it yet.
"Personally, and from a company perspective, we are in transition... a lot of reacting, long hours, and a lot of criticism, too. It's been difficult when you are trying your best, working long hours, and still getting criticism. It hasn't been a fun environment. But over the past six months, even before I knew about the work CEO2 was doing with us, I started to sense that the management team was in transition, and I was hearing them say, "Hey, we've got a lot of great people in this company, we've got a lot of great leaders and great people. Let's use these people.” CEO2 is a transformation methodology. Those of you who haven't yet been through the program might be thinking 'Oh no, it's just another team building exercise,' but really, for me there are some key differentiators. I've been on team building exercises; I've been on ropes courses, I've built a boat with John O'Neil (BE Founder) where we had to get on the boat and take it across a swimming pool, and we sank. But the real differentiator of CEO2 was around relationships. The first part of relationships is understanding the game we're playing; the second is knowing what's expected; the third is knowing where you stand; and the fourth is standing in your personal power. What I've experienced since Atlanta (the manager and supervisor retreat) is to really understand the game we're playing...there's already been a lot of advancement...we know what our roles are...and we know what the mission critical issues are. But, for me, the most important thing I learned is the idea of personal power, which is the fourth step in relationship. Personally, I now feel I have the power to get my job done... You will see that our personal and organizational limiting beliefs are what's holding us back... and it takes courage to face some of them. I've had the opportunity to learn more about myself and access my personal power. I know my role and how I can personally contribute to the company. I look forward to everyone having that."
John Sims, Product Manager, Business Engine
"CEO2 is a powerful agent for organizational change. Their program created more effective teams at my company by making people feel accountable and simultaneously empowering them to accept that accountability. This empowerment ranged from the CEO down to the lowest line worker. They also gave us tools for evaluating the dynamics within a company that will be useful to me for the rest of my career. I would highly recommend CEO2 for their ability to help get a company engaged and moving forward together."
Mike Ambrose, VP Engineering, Interlink Electronics
"CEO2 offers a highly unique service in transforming people's personal and professional lives. What I learned from CEO2 led me to conduct my life and business with a sense of enormous passion, excitement, and fulfillment that will last forever. And Tom's phenomenal book, "The Accidental CEO," serves as an inspirational, step-by-step guide to business owners who desire to lead with Purpose & Passion."
Joe Lam, CEO, Shining Light Productions, Nov. 2007
"CEO2’s approach to bringing out the best in professional performance through personal introspection was indeed unique and instrumental in improving my personal approach to business. Their ability to facilitate changing attitudes and stimulate higher performance through team interaction, goal setting and systematic process refinement was a true defining moment in my business leadership skill suite."
Charles Beck, VP Sales, Business Engine Corp
"CEO2 has a unique way of cutting through the personal frustrations and emotions that can cripple a company and focus that energy on solutions. For me, this has resulted in the creation of a happy, focused, extremely productive team that is leading the charge for our company's growth."
Lisa Pomerleau, Directing Manager, Bachrach & Associates, Inc.
Our Founders
Passionate Visionaries
Tom Voccola
Tom Voccola is the author of The Accidental CEO – A Leader’s Journey from Ego to Purpose, and The Mechanics of Magic – How to Fix Anything at Work. His life’s work is to inspire a new generation of leaders to transcend ego and its fear-based agenda. His work gives leaders and their teams immediate and authentic access to the exponential power of Passion in a way that allows their life’s Purpose—and the Purpose of their organizations—to be fulfilled. A true master of personal and organizational change, Tom’s message of self-awareness and its link to personal and organizational fulfillment have been embraced by hundreds of leaders throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. Tom holds bachelor of science degrees in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology, a master's in Applied Anthropology, and graduate certificates in User Experience Research from Boise State.
Frances Fujii
Frances Fujii is a creative and strategic thinker with 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and chief executive. Frances is the principal designer and co-creator of the CEO2 program, a whole-system change process that ignites both human and organizational potential. Frances holds a master’s in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica, a bachelor’s in fine arts from the University of Idaho, and multiple certifications in transformational tools, instructional design, and assessments.
A Call to Adventure
You were once full of wonder and adventure. You can have it back.
Master Your Self.
Master Your Relationships.
Master A Game Worth Playing.
You have something powerful on your mind, something meaningful you want to do. Talk to us about it. We'll listen.
Leading people to Mars is going to be challenging. Thriving in hostile environments is going to be the new normal. Are you ready?
CEOing for the 21st Century
The Art & Science of Creating Extraordinary Organizations
TM
