Want to Be a Great CEO? Start With the Man in the Mirror. If you want to make your company a better place, you've got to be someone that your team admires and have vision for them to follow.
By Ken Dunn •
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The role of a CEO in a company cannot be overstated. A good CEO is the best sales person, a marketing expert, a savant of financial tracking and a politician. If you are considering founding your own company or aspire to hit the top C-level job in a major corporation, then you better start developing your attention to detail and multi-tasking abilities.
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Over the past decade, I have had the opportunity to be a CEO, to be a consultant to CEOs and to speak to them on the world's stages. When reviewing my notes on the dozens, if not hundreds, of CEOs that I have interacted with, I have found that most are doing well with the aforementioned. However, I have found three major blunders that the vast majority of the top chiefs make.
Most of the time, these faux pas could be avoided if the head boss would just decide to make it a habit. These three points may seem innocent enough, but honing them will take a good company and turn it into a great company.
1. Look in a mirror.
As the CEO, you are the example to your entire company. It is crucial that you do everything you can to become the type of person who other people admire. If you do not take your personal care seriously, you will build a company full of slobs.
If you do not control your bad habits (alcohol consumption, use of profane language, coming in late and leaving early), they will become the predominant habits of your company. If you do not try and develop your mind, your staff will not either. Your company is a reflection of you.
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2. Look around you.
I have had a chance to observe CEOs who are constantly paying close attention to the people around them. Whenever they see a valid reason to give someone a genuine pat on the back -- they do. They realize that even the most elite managers yearn for attention. You know the old saying, "babies cry for it, and people die for it"."
You are the person that your company looks up to. Get in the habit of making someone feel good every day. Yes, I know you are also going to be the most stressed out. You are the one that has to constantly find money, cover loses and keep shareholders happy -- but you signed up for it! You are also responsible for making other people feel appreciated. If you don't do it, then none of your managers will. That will be devastating and will turn your company into a revolving door.
3. Look up.
The old saying holds true, "In the absence if vision, the people will perish." You should constantly be thinking about the future. Where can you take the company? What can you do to increase the experience for employees and customers? What can you do to move your company up?
You should constantly be looking up. But that is not the most important part. If you think of the greatest CEOs in history, you will see an uncanny similarity in their ability to share the vision. On a daily basis, you absolutely need to be sharing your vision with someone.
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Great CEOs can't help themselves. They are so excited about where they are going that they can't help but share it with others. CEOs who don't vision-cast will be the captain of a ship that does not move in the water. Make it a habit to share the vision of the company with someone on the team -- everyday!
