Read an Excerpt
Want to sneak a peak of Haunting the CEO? Read the Prologue below, or click to download a PDF of the Prologue and Chapter 1: Fear Renewed.
Prologue
Jim Cavo sat behind his new desk at Cantril Distribution. It was Friday evening, late, and everyone had gone home. He wasn’t scheduled to officially begin until Monday, but he wanted to get a better feel for what he was getting himself into. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out last year’s financial results. He rubbed the back of his neck as he scanned the figures for the fifth time. He didn’t like it, but he knew he was going to have to make some changes.
Across town, Brian Kagey was helping his wife, Jill, make dinner. Helping wasn’t quite the right word. He’d burned the garlic toast and over-cooked the spaghetti, lost in worry about the new CEO coming on board that week. He’d been through this before. A new leader usually meant a new team. He was a damn good technologist, and he could play most any role in IT. It just wouldn’t be fair if he was let go.
Carol Lee was already missing Jim at Keoslin Industries. He’d been a good CEO there, and she wished he hadn’t moved on. But she understood his drive, his desire to always be making a bigger difference. Cantril would be a big challenge for him, and his competitive side just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Still, she was glad he’d called. The fact that he thought she could help his new company made her feel like she did something right as his CIO at Keoslin.
Chapter 1: Fear Renewed
“You wanted to see me, Jim?” I had politely rapped on the new CEO’s door and attempted to utter those words confidently, but instead they crawled out of my mouth a crackling, nervous whisper. Not a good first impression.
“Yes I did, Brian. Close the door and have a seat.”
The strength and confidence in his voice shook me. I walked into his office and sat in one of the two leather chairs in front of his large oak desk. Although the chair was comfortable, it didn’t relieve my concern for what I was about to hear. I hadn’t met with Jim since he joined us on Monday. I’d been in a couple meetings with him and saw him around the building, but this would be our first one-on-one discussion.
Jim didn’t hesitate. “I’ve worked for several companies over the last 30 some years. Throughout that time, I have only experienced one IT organization that performed well, that met the real needs of the business. I’ve seen IT disrupt businesses, fail to deliver on critical projects and put technology ahead of customer and business needs. And…”
