John Duff (3C Interactive) in “The Corner Office”

Adam Bryant conducts interviews of senior-level executives that appear in his “Corner Office” column each week in the SundayBusiness section of The New York Times. Here are a few insights provided during an interview of John Duffy, C.E.O. of 3C Interactive, a mobile technology company. He asks candidates for a position, “If I hire you, what’s your 100-day plan?”

To read the complete interview as well as Bryant’s interviews of other executives, please click here.

Photo credit: Librado Romero/The New York Times

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Bryant: Tell me about your leadership approach.

Duffy: Consistency is important to me. I think my partners and employees appreciate the fact that you get the same John Duffy every day, regardless of the circumstances. You don’t have to think about how to approach me. If one of my employees told me that they had to think about what my mood was on a particular day — “How is he? Can we talk?” — I’d quit. I never want to be that person.

Bryant: Why is that so important to you?

Duffy: I had a boss who was consistent, pragmatic and disciplined, and he had a big impact on my career. I liked being able to do what I was doing and go back to him for stability and consistency. That helped me be more successful. So I don’t let the things that are bothering me affect how I communicate with people. I try not to, anyway.

Bryant: What else is important about your approach to leadership?

Duffy: I want to be somebody who not only inspires people, but also helps them learn to aspire. I think there’s a pretty big difference.

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Adam Bryant, deputy national editor of The New York Times, oversees coverage of education issues, military affairs, law, and works with reporters in many of the Times‘ domestic bureaus. He also conducts interviews with CEOs and other leaders for Corner Office, a weekly feature in the SundayBusiness section and on nytimes.com that he started in March 2009. In his book, The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed, (Times Books), he analyzes the broader lessons that emerge from his interviews with more than 70 leaders. To read an excerpt, please click here. To contact him, please click here.
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