---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Show me a chief executive who’s on five…"
description: "\"Show me a chief executive who’s on five boards and who lends his or her name, prestige and time to 15 community activities — and I’ll show you a compan..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/albert-j-dunlap-104427_activity_show-me-a-chief-executive-who-s-on-five_904010.jpg"
---

#  Show me a chief executive who’s on five boards and who…

![“Show me a chief executive who’s on five boards and who lends his or her name, prestige and time to 15 community activities — and I’ll show you a company that’s underperforming. A chief executive is paid to run the company. That’s the CEO’s job.” quote by Albert J. Dunlap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/albert-j-dunlap-104427_activity_show-me-a-chief-executive-who-s-on-five_904010.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/albert-j-dunlap-104427_activity_show-me-a-chief-executive-who-s-on-five_904010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/albert-j-dunlap-104427_activity_show-me-a-chief-executive-who-s-on-five_904010.jpg)

> “Show me a chief executive who’s on five boards and who lends his or her name, prestige and time to 15 community activities — and I’ll show you a company that’s underperforming. A chief executive is paid to run the company. That’s the CEO’s job.”

Albert J. Dunlap

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A CEO who spreads himself thin across many boards and community roles often cannot focus on core company performance, leading to underachievement.

**In simple terms:** Too many commitments hurt company results.

Key Takeaway

Limit CEO focus to core duties.

Themes

leadership governance performance overextension focus

Mood

critical analytical

Type

Activity:1 Boards:1 Business:1 Ceo:1 Chief executive:1 Chief executives:1 Chiefs:1 Community:1 Company:1 Executive:1 Executives:1 Five:0 Jobs:0 Names:0 Paid:0 Prestige:0 Running:0 Show me:0 Shows:0 Time:0 Company Ceo:0 Underperforming Chief:0 Executive Paid:0

When to use this quote

- board membership
- community involvement
- executive compensation
- strategic focus

Key Concepts

corporate governance resource allocation stakeholder theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How many boards can a CEO effectively serve?
- What metrics reveal CEO distraction?

A Different Perspective

Overextension can dilute strategic impact.

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> [The price of leadership is criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-dunlap/the-price-of-leadership-is-criticism/)

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