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Rami Cassis has hired four CEOs. He replaced three of them. In this episode of CEOs Unscripted, the Monaco-based investor and founder of Parabellum Investments sits down with Jane Gentry to share the unfiltered truth about what separates great CEOs from expensive mistakes and why emotional intelligence matters more than any MBA or sector experience ever will.
If you hire CEOs, aspire to be one, or are already in the seat, this conversation will make you rethink everything.
In this episode, you'll learn:
✅ Why CEOs who come from sales are dangerously optimistic with forecasts
✅ The subtle client signals most CEOs completely miss until it's too late
✅ The difference between managing UP vs. managing DOWN and why it destroys cultures
✅ Why "wartime CEOs" and "prosperity CEOs" are completely different animals
✅ What the first 60-90 days in a new CEO role should actually look like
✅ The single number every CEO must have an iron grip on
✅ Why being NICE is not the same as being KIND and why it matters enormously
✅ How a culture of fear silently kills your best performers
💡 Key Insight: "The way you deliver something is just as important, if not more important, than what you actually say."
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Cold open: Why hiring a great CEO is as hard as hiring a great salesperson
01:00 Welcome to CEOs Unscripted
02:35 Meet Rami Cassis, Parabellum Investments, Monaco
03:06 Rami's backstory: Egypt, France, Australia, oil & gas, and beyond 05:41 What Parabellum Investments actually does
07:07 What Rami looks for when hiring a CEO
08:08 The three painful reasons his CEOs failed
08:44 Mistake #1: Consistently missing forecasts and why sales CEOs are the worst offenders
10:44 Mistake #2: Failing to read the room with clients
12:47 Why EQ is rarely in the top 3 things we interview CEOs for
13:41 Wartime CEOs vs. prosperity CEOs, which one are you?
17:18 Why emotional intelligence is hard to measure but impossible to ignore
19:38 The self-awareness paradox, the higher you climb the blinder you get
21:26 Is EQ innate or learned? Jane and Rami debate
22:46 Delivery matters as much as content, maybe more
23:54 The difference between being NICE and being KIND as a CEO
25:31 Mistake #3: Managing up but not down and the culture of fear it creates
27:41 Signs you have a culture of fear (Jane's tell-tale meeting test)
29:13 Autonomy vs. accountability, where CEOs get the balance wrong 31:17 When you trust too much, the costly CTO technology mistake
33:39 Why major decisions need an outside voice with no dog in the fight 35:26 What counsel would you give a brand new CEO?
36:35 First 60-90 days, listen, observe, resist the urge to act fast
38:34 It's okay not to know and why admitting it builds more trust than hiding it
39:42 The unprepared sales leader who won his team over with one apology
40:47 Play to your strengths and outsource your weaknesses
41:40 The numbers every CEO must know cold
42:33 Why a 13-week cash flow forecast is non-negotiable
44:25 How do founders know they're in a turnaround situation?
44:33 The financial warning signs of a business in trouble
46:41 Cut marketing or double down? Jane and Rami respectfully disagree 47:22 Why a strong CFO is every CEO's most important co-pilot
48:42 What Jane did differently during COVID and why it worked
49:24 Asking for opinions doesn't mean you have to take them
50:33 Rami's final thoughts and what he hopes others take from his mistakes
51:08 Jane's closing thoughts
🎙️ CEOs Unscripted is a bi-weekly podcast for mid-market CEOs, no fluff, no jargon, just real conversations from leaders who've been in the trenches.
📌 SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode.
🔗 Connect with Jane Gentry: [LinkedIn] 🔗 Connect with Rami Cassis: [LinkedIn]
#Leadership #CEOsUnscripted #EmotionalIntelligence #PrivateEquity #CEOMindset #BusinessGrowth #MidMarket #Turnaround #ExecutiveLeadership #ScalingUp
