CEO fired over his boring powerpoint

When I first saw Cliff Atkinson’s Beyond Bullets blog report of the story of a CEO fired (in part) because of his poor Powerpoint presentation at the annual shareholder’s meeting, I couldn’t believe it. So I did a little research of my own. That’s when I found this quote from an Investor who was in the audience that night (as reported in the Telegraph, a U.K. newspaper, on May 27, 2004. (Yes, I know that was an "Internet Age" ago, but it's still news to most of the prospective clients I talk with.)

Rounding on Mr Wilde's presentation about the group's businesses, Mr Farmer (a private investor) said: "The chief executive's presentation was appalling. For someone who goes to a lot of annual meetings, it was the worst I have ever heard. "Halting, verbose and, as far as the matters it raised, they were so elementary that it raised fury that you weren’t already doing them,” he said.

Certainly not a glowing review, but enough to warrant an ouster? I’ll let you make up your own mind after digesting Cliff Atkinson’s analysis in full.

But before you go off, to read what he had to say, ask yourself this: How many times, in how many different companies, have you known an executive to toss a handful of written notes on a Secretary's desk with instructions to make it in to a Powerpoint by the end of the week (or worse, day)?

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