Authors Joel Trammell and Sherif Sakr Discuss ‘The Chief Executive Operating System’.

Becoming a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the pinnacle of many professionals’ careers, embodying the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and strategic thinking. However, the path to success in the CEO role is far from straightforward. It requires a unique set of skills, knowledge, and a holistic understanding of the organization’s inner workings.

In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape, CEOs face an array of challenges, from managing complex operations to leading diverse teams and making crucial decisions that impact the entire organization. To navigate this demanding landscape effectively, CEOs need a comprehensive playbook that empowers them to achieve their full potential while driving success for their companies.

Enter “The Chief Executive Operating System: The Essential Playbook for Success in the CEO Role Kindle Edition” by Joel Trammell and Sherif Sakr. This book serves as an invaluable resource, offering a practical roadmap for CEOs to thrive in their demanding roles, no matter the industry or company size.

Joel Trammell, an experienced CEO, and Sherif Sakr, a renowned business and technology expert, have combined their wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience to create a definitive guide for aspiring and current CEOs alike. Their book delves into the core principles, strategies, and tools necessary to master the art of effective leadership and drive sustainable growth.

“The Chief Executive Operating System” takes readers on a transformative journey, exploring the fundamental principles that underpin successful leadership. Trammell and Sakr offer insightful advice on a wide range of topics, including developing a leadership mindset, honing strategic thinking, building high-performance teams, and fostering a culture of innovation. Their expertise shines through in every chapter, providing actionable insights that CEOs can immediately implement to elevate their performance.

What sets this book apart is its emphasis on a comprehensive operating system tailored specifically for CEOs. Trammell and Sakr introduce a systematic approach to managing the complexities of the CEO role, offering a framework that integrates strategy, execution, and continuous improvement. This operating system equips CEOs with the tools and methodologies needed to enhance decision-making, drive organizational alignment, and maximize operational efficiency.

We had a chance to interview the authors, this is what they shared. 

Growing up, you mention that you always wanted to be a CEO. How did that become an aspiration at such a young age?

In any group I was a part of as a kid, I always felt responsible for the outcomes of the group. Since I already felt I was responsible, it felt natural to take on a leadership role. CEOs have to own outcomes  they can’t control directly and get things done through influence. That has always interested me.

 As an expert in the field you are writing about, did you need to conduct any research when writing The Chief Executive Operating System, or does the writing come from knowledge and experience as a top CEO?

I am a lifelong learner so I devour any book or article I can find about the CEO role. Surprisingly there are not that many research efforts or books that address the CEO role specifically. While there are numerous efforts on leadership, they are often generic and don’t address the specific challenges of the CEO role.

Talk to us about Texas CEO Magazine. Where did the idea for this come about? 

I purchased and relaunched Texas CEO Magazine in 2020 after it had been dormant for several years. The concept behind that publication is to keep CEOs supplied with relevant information they can use in their business and also to connect CEOs across industries, experience levels, and more. Today, just about everything I spend my time on is geared toward empowering and educating CEOs. Texas CEO Magazine is just one more outlet for that. It also gives us an excuse to talk to a lot of wise leaders from across the state.

If you could spend a day with any CEO, who would it be and why?

Probably Satya Nadella [CEO of Microsoft]. He’s done an impressive job reinvigorating the Microsoft brand from where it was seven or eight years ago, taking it into the cloud space. He talks a lot about the CEO’s role in creating clarity out of chaos and ambiguity. He really seems to get it. The results speak for themselves.

Do you have any advice for an aspiring business leader in today’s world?

Get outside your business and always be looking for opportunities to learn. There are lots of lessons you can apply that aren’t within the narrow confines of your own company, your own industry, your own career path before you came CEO. 

Second, I’d say to never pass up an opportunity to get feedback on your performance. CEOs don’t have a traditional “boss,” so they often have to work a little harder to get useful feedback. But they do need it.

In your book, The Chief Executive Operating System, do you have a subject that you enjoy writing about the most? 

I believe business is fundamentally about people, so that is a common theme throughout the book. I like explaining to CEOs how everything they do can have an impact on the performance of the company. Building an organization that facilitates peak performance is the heart of what a CEO does.