Honda's New CEO Makes R&D Top Priority | Gender Inequality In The C-Suite | Interviewing For Leadership Roles

Plus: U.S. SPAC Boom Is Poised To Spread To China

One of the more interesting phenomena in business is watching as former employees and colleagues of influential CxOs go on to build their own businesses—protégés become presidents, apprentices become founders. Nowhere is that example as intriguing as in the case of Elon Musk and the various Tesla employees who have gone on to start their own electric vehicle companies. Don’t miss Forbes’ Alan Ohnsman’s latest deep dive into the innovators Tesla has spawned: “The Tesla Mafia: Elon Musk’s Ex-Employees Vie To Become His Top Rival.”

This week I’d also like to highlight the first in ongoing data shares from our first-ever CxO Growth Survey, announced earlier this month:. As part of the research, Forbes asked CxOs to identify the top three issues their C-suites debate most often. Among 17 options, the top five were: which areas to invest in (25%); where to focus DX and innovation (24); how to manage/their decision-making procedures (24%); what risks are worth taking (23%); and how to balance the short and long term (22%).

Read here for more information about our CxO Growth Survey, part of our overall new CxO platform designed to spotlight C-suite collaboration at a time when it’s needed most.

Have a great week.

Comings & Goings

Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson passed away last Tuesday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Sorenson, the first outside the Marriott family to helm the hotel giant, led the company through an extraordinary period of growth, including the 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels. The business is expected to announce his replacement in the next week.

On Friday, Honda announced that CEO Takahiro Hashigo would be stepping down at the end of March, passing control to its head of research and development, Toshihiro Mibe. The move signals a renewed focus on electric vehicles from the Japanese automaker.

Leadership & Strategy

Aligning corporate strategies with consumers’ interests may seem like standard branding advice, but it’s also essential for legal compliance. If your company says one thing but does another, you could be in hot water—just look at big tech.

The pandemic has made interviewing for leadership roles more sensitive (and difficult) than ever. If you’re interviewing for a management role at a new firm, these questions can help you determine whether the organization is a good fit.

If your business took out more than $2 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans, you’ll likely have to submit a Form 3509 to the Small Business Administration. Focus on these seven questions to ensure compliance.

By The Numbers

17 : 1

Ratio by which men outnumber women as CEOs.

A new study from Morningstar charts the evolving gender dynamic in management. While the pay gap between men and women appears to be narrowing, men still significantly outnumber women and benefit from different pathways for career growth.

The CxO Profile

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