As far as a simple mindset goes, CEOS want people to be concise, be brief, get to the point, make it simple.
Few thing seem to irritate CEOs more than lengthy PowerPoint presentations. People have trouble getting to the point. The test: Next time you're in a meeting, ask someone to give you a 10-word summary of his or her idea.
Say Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: "Most meeting, you sent me the materials and I read them in advance. And I can come in and say: "I've got the following four questions.Please don't present the (whole) deck (of slides). That lets us go, whether they've organized it that way or not, to their recommendation. And if I have question about the long and winding road and the data and the supporting evidence, I can ask them. But it gives us greater focus."
James Schiro, the former CEO of Zurich Financial Service, favours a limit of "three slides, three point"
"You really can't manage more than three or four things at the most, but I like to see it in three slides,"he said. "I hate PowerPoint presentations. If you're running a business, you ought to be able to stand up there and tell me about your business without referring to a big slide deck. When you're speaking, people should focus on you and focus on the message. They can't walk away remem- bering a whole bunch of different things."
In short, simplifying the complex is Job One for CEOs. They are paid to create order out of chaos, to identify three to five things employees need to focus on, rather than 20 things that will send people off in different directions.