McNerney: It's His Job "To Keep Everybody Paranoid"

As Boeing CEO James McNerney gets ready to celebrate one year in his new job... he seems to have a pretty good handle on the gig by now.

"It's my job to keep everybody paranoid," he told the Associated Press recently, in a half-joking reference to former Intel CEO Andy Grove's statement that "only the paranoid survive."

That paranoia seems to be serving Boeing well so far. Its stock has risen more than 30 percent in value since McNerney first took over, after the resignation of Harry Stonecipher. And Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner is a hot-seller right now. 

McNerney knows his tenure at Boeing is not likely to be remembered for his FIRST year as chief, though... but rather the years to come, and that's where it gets dicey.

The upcoming first flight of the Dreamliner may make or break the company... especially if the composite-bodied plane doesn't live up to expectations, or meet its production goals.

For that reason, McNerney says, he doesn't want Boeing employees to start feeling "happy for ourselves... I want us to be striving for more, no matter how successful we are."

Sounds like good advice.

FMI: www.boeing.com