I had the privilege of attending the unveiling of the results of the SMU Cox 2012 "CEO Sentiment Survey" and the announcement of the "CEO of the Year" on November 12th at the Collins Center at SMU. What an outstanding event. Congratulations to the SMU Cox School of Business for creating and continuing a survey and publication that offers great value to the community.
The overall economic outlook for the DFW economy announced that evening is best summarized by a quote from the survey results:
"As has been typical among our respondents since we began conducting this survey, the economic outlook for the DFW is once again far more positive than it is for the world and the country. A majority of respondents (56 percent) said that economic conditions in our area would improve, while only 7 percent expect a decline. This is a significant rise in optimism from the 42 percent who expected an increase last year. In fact, last year was the first time we had reported more respondents expecting conditions in DFW to remain the same than those who expected an increase. This year's results bring the trend back to where it had been for most of this survey's history."
We are fortunate to live in an area that is prospering and trust that the predicted economic improvement will continue to materialize throughout 2013.
The DFW "CEO of the Year" award went to Nolan Ryan, CEO of the Texas Rangers. Mr. Ryan's arrival and acceptance of the award delighted everyone in attendance.
I remember hearing Mr. Ryan speak a number of years ago. I've long forgotten the place or venue, but words that he spoke that day resonated with me, and I've never forgotten what he said. In talking about his experience as a pitcher, Mr. Ryan said when his game was "off," it was due to one thing . . . the Big C . . . Concentration. I think that is true in so many areas of life, not just the pitcher's mound. That's a leadership lesson for all of us. Getting our focus and concentration back on what matters in our lives -- at home, at work and in our relationships is the key to sustaining excellence.
Congratulations Mr. Ryan! Thank you for being an outstanding leader of our times!
I've been privileged to attend several meetings hosted by SMU in the past few months that featured outstanding CEO presentations. They've included:
The Symposium continued through Day three with the same outstanding quality of information and presentation as before. The highlights of the day, for me, were the presentations on strategic technologies for 2007 and on working with boards of directors.
In recent consulting engagements, KMC has repeatedly dealt with the impact of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) on businesses. Whether a business is creating new processes or improving existing processes, SOX compliance must be an integral part of all deliverables. 
The merging of two companies & their cultures is always a complex challenge, even if there are people within who have worked for both entities and know the industry. If you begin with experience and business knowledge, then the goal becomes to create teamwork, effective processes, focus, and opportunity for innovation. If you are combining people and cultures for the first time, or you sense inflexibility, the priority must be team building or strengths analysis in order to create a working baseline. After establishing the team’s strengths, move to determine innovation opportunities, rather than process analysis, which is often the next best step. 
