Running a company these days takes versatility as well as speed. From frontman and technology savant to back-patter and company spy, the CEO plays a variety of roles. Consider the far-flung duties Office Depot CEO Bruce Nelson performed in a single week earlier this year:
THE WIRED TRAVELER: Flew to Tucson, Ariz., Lafayette, La., and Jacksonville, Fla., answering e-mail on his laptop while in flight.
THE OFFICE-SUPPLY SPY: Sauntered into OfficeMax outlets, pretending to be a customer, to inspect what the competition was selling.
THE ENFORCER: Delegated duties to his VPs and then gave them a lecture on accountability.
THE BENEVOLENT BOSS: Visited five Office Depot stores, handed out bonuses and bought a Cajun lunch for employees at a top-performing store.
THE SCHMOOZER: Dined with the Newell Rubbermaid board of directors and gave a briefing about the office-products industry.
THE TECH AFICIONADO: Accepted a magazine award lauding Office Depot's information-technology record.
THE WHEEL GREASER: Spent the better part of one day in back-to-back 15-minute meetings with managers, getting updates and giving advice.
THE PUBLIC FACE: Spent time talking to the media about his efforts to revive his troubled company.
