Joel Trammell

Veteran CEO; CEO, Black Box; Founder, Khorus at Black Box Corp.

Joel Trammell is CEO of Black Box, which provides IT infrastructure services, and the founder of CEO software company Khorus. He is also the author of the The CEO Tightrope.

Want to write for Entrepreneur too? Apply to join Entrepreneur Leadership network.

More From Joel Trammell

Thought Leaders

‘Bizarro World’ Management Is Not a Viable Strategy

Every successful company has policies, procedures and bureaucracy because grown-ups have learned chaos is not a good alternative.

Thought Leaders

First Positioning Is as Important to Your Startup as First Impressions Are to Your Career

Avoid the common mistakes many hard-charging entrepreneurial CEOs make.

Thought Leaders

6 Challenges Awaiting You When Finally You Become CEO

There's no guidebook when you reach the top and not everybody succeeds.

Thought Leaders

The Consequences of This CEO’s After-Hours Outburst Show Why Accountability Is a 24/7 Job

As KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger recently discovered, CEOs are never off the clock

Thought Leaders

This Is the Job That Best Prepares You for CEO Success

Best training ground for the C-suite isn't glamorous, just crucial.

Human Resources

3 Ways to Engage Offsite Employees in Your Culture

Reinforcing business culture beyond headquarters requires a blend of high-tech communication and personal interaction.

Thought Leaders

Why You Should Encourage Whistleblowing in Your Organization

Make it easy for employees at every level to raise a red flag about both problems and opportunities.

Thought Leaders

A 3-Step Process to Making Better Decisions

Knowing if, when and how to make decisions requires experience and self-awareness.

Thought Leaders

You’re a Real CEO When Your Company Is Bigger Than Your Title

Even if they founded the company, CEO is a pompous title for somebody supervising a handful of employees.

Building a Business

When to Hire Raw Talent vs. Job Experience

Experience is a must for some jobs, but people with raw talent offer unique benefits.

Building a Business

How to Solicit Valuable Feedback From Your Board

Your board of directors can be a huge help, but only if you prompt them to provide the right type of input.

Building a Business

4 Considerations at Least as Important as Not Going Over Budget

If sticking to the budget requires quashing initiative and going rigid in a dynamic business climate, it's time for a new measure of success.

Building a Business

4 Ways to Develop a Better Exit Strategy

Build a great business first. The rest will follow.

Building a Business

Enemy Mine: Rethink Your Approach to the Competition

Many entrepreneurs are not thinking enough about their potential competition. Survival depends upon keeping your "enemies" close.

Building a Business

Balance Growth vs. Profitability With These 4 Tips

CEOs must know whether they are prioritizing growth or profitability and manage accordingly.

Thought Leaders

Why a CEO’s Credibility Is More Fragile Than a Politician’s Chances for Election

Business leaders are paid for results much easier to measure than the promises that get candidates elected.

Thought Leaders

Employee Management: Reward the Best, Replace the Worst

Got a non-performer in your midst? Show him, or her, the door.

Building a Business

4 Things CEOs Want From HR Leadership

What an HR executive must do to reclaim his or her rightful advisory role to the CEO.

Thought Leaders

8 Questions to Answer Before Selecting a New CEO

Narrow down your search by understanding what the company needs.

Human Resources

4 Ways to Balance Company Rules With Values

How do you keep your business flexible and efficient at the same time?

Entrepreneurs

5 Tips for Young CEOs Managing More Experienced Executives

It's right to respect your elders but don't forget who hired whom.

Business Accounting

Don’t Go the Way of Gravity Payments. Focus on Fairness, Balance in Salary Management.

Have an objective compensation system that lets employees focus on intrinsic rewards.

Building a Business

Executives: Edit Your CEO-Targeted Communications to Get Better Results

Three tips for how you can provide the exact information your chief executive needs, and nothing but.

Building a Business

3 Steps to a More ‘Predictable’ Organization

Leaders should extend forecasting beyond the sales team to stay one step ahead.

Thought Leaders

How to Find Out What’s Really Happening in Your Organization

Providing a means for consistent employee input gives leaders what they need to know.

Thought Leaders

How CEOs Can Prevent the Scourge of Isolation

Heads of companies are sheltered in the C suite. Here's how to break out of the Fortress of Solitude.

Building a Business

5 Ways Entrepreneurs Learn to Manage Risk

A CEO argues that comfort with taking chances is something that's learned not inherent, yet successful startup leaders become experts at weighing the options.