The CEO’s Playbook

About the Author

Dr. Nora Ganescu, a coach, consultant, and trainer, specializes in helping companies maximize their impact by transforming their workplaces into environments where people love to contribute. Beginning her professional journey as a youth activist in post-communist Romania, she has dedicated her career to building bridges and fostering understanding. Ganescu has worked with numerous prestigious organizations such as Lufthansa, Habitat for Humanity, and the European Commission, offering her expertise across 30 countries and three continents.

Main Idea

In The CEO’s Playbook: Turning the Employees You Have into the Dream Team You Always Wanted, Nora Ganescu provides a blueprint for creating a highly engaged and innovative workplace. The book challenges outdated management theories and introduces concrete steps to cultivate a self-organized, wholesome, and creative company culture. By focusing on autonomy, mastery, and purpose, leaders can transform their organizations into thriving, high-performance environments.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Fixing the “People Issues”
3. What Do People Want?
4. Changing the Way Employees Relate to Your Company
5. Start at the Heart of the Matter
6. The New Work of a CEO
7. A Change Incubator
8. The Core Group
9. Unleash the Brilliance of Your Team
10. Systemic Improvements
11. How to Support the Transition

Fixing the “People Issues”

Ganescu highlights the outdated command-and-control management model that views employees as lazy and unreliable, needing constant direction and coercion. She argues that this model is ineffective in today’s work environment, particularly with Generations Y and Z, who seek autonomy and creativity in their roles. The book proposes a shift in management thinking to see employees as responsible, caring adults who want to contribute their best talents.

"Most of the management theories we have were developed on 150-year-old views of ‘the worker’ as lazy, irresponsible, and unreliable." — Nora Ganescu

modern management approaches:

• Empowering employees to make decisions and take ownership of their tasks.
• Creating a culture of trust and open communication.
• Recognizing and rewarding contributions and innovations.

What Do People Want?

Employees thrive on three key factors: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

"The top three things that will keep people eager to contribute their best talents are autonomy, mastery, and purpose." — Nora Ganescu

fostering these factors include:

• Giving employees the freedom to make decisions about their tasks (autonomy).
• Creating an environment that supports the pursuit of excellence (mastery).
• Aligning tasks with meaningful goals (purpose).