Welcome to this third post in our series on running a company effectively. In the first two blogs, I spoke about Building Blocks for Business Success. If you haven’t read these yet, I invite you to start here.

As the leader of an organization, there are many things that are important to you and cannot be outsource. In fact, it is often not realized how much a CEO needs to be aware of. In today’s blog, I would like to share some key perspectives you need to maintain in your position that will help you make better decisions.

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

How well would you say you do at practicing what you preach? 

As a CEO, it’s important to identify and communicate your values and philosophies to your team. Whatever you share, whatever position you take, whatever you’re asking of others, you have to practice it too. You need to model it and remain consistent with what you say.

They say the best way to teach children something is not to say it but to model it. Although your team is not made up of children, this principle is the same. It’s much easier for them to observe what you do than to hear it.

You might want to ask a few trusted members of your team what percentage you score at practicing what you preach. Their feedback, if honest, will offer you rich insights on how you are performing. This could also open the door to further conversation and verify you are all moving in the same direction. 

Like you would in other aspects of your life, it’s important in your role as a CEO to keep yourself in check. A great way to do this is to identify one or two individuals in your organization who you are close to and who is comfortable enough to speak up if they see something inconsistent in your behavior or actions.

Work hard to be mindful of doing what you say. If you’re not going to practice it, don’t preach it. Don’t convey it to others if you’re not committed to it yourself.

DETERMINE WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU

As the CEO, it’s essential to determine what the most important things are for you to do. Sometimes, the role does not come with a clear job description, and therefore, one must identify for themselves what areas will bring the greatest return, where the greatest risks lie, and what is most critical to the future of the company.

I quickly learned that it was my responsibility to stay ahead and determine what we would be doing in the next six or twelve months and identify where the curve balls would potentially come from. Doing my job as CEO meant staying out of some of the details I didn’t need to be in and staying in some details I thought were critical to our success.

Because of this, I’ve always had the mindset that I don’t need to do everything. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve always had a high value for my time. Delegation has therefore been a valuable tool for me, and I share more about it in my post, Time Stewardship Part Two – The Irreplaceable Power of Delegation.

I learned early that in order to free up my time, I would need to build a great management team. Growing people is an important part of delegating and ensuring you focus on what you need to. You can’t delegate and expect the work to be done at the standard you want it done. With my team, I always saw an opportunity to review, discuss learnings, and see how it could be done better the next time.

SET ASIDE TIME TO THINK 

How often do you set aside time to stop, step back, and think about the business, your life, and your family? As the CEO, that is one of your responsibilities. We’re not talking about the day-to-day activities but clearing your mind and thinking beyond the daily routines.

I have built a habit of pulling away monthly (sometimes quarterly) for an extended period of time to think. Typically, I like to be away from my office in a calming environment where there are no lists or stacks of paper to distract me. I have received some of my best ideas in these reflective moments. I’ve been able to analyze what is going on presently, look at the past, look to the future and get a clearer perspective on different areas. As the CEO, you are the one who casts the vision and can see the entire landscape. Taking time to think outside the box allows you to do this.

If you are not already doing this, I encourage you to set aside time in your calendar as frequently as you need to. Find a quiet place that inspires you, turn off your phone, and be still. Sometimes it could be for a couple of hours, other times, a whole day. Either way, it’s an extremely valuable exercise to do. 

HONESTY AS A STANDARD

I was raised by a mother who was 100% honest, and she wired it into me at an early age. Being truly honest is a freeing way to live. The world looks at honesty in a very different way; if you’re not caught, then you’re considered to be honest. If you’re proven guilty, however, then you’re not honest. I encourage you to follow the true standard of honesty and set it as a high bar in your world. Following this principle has paid me a lot of dividends. Offer honesty and require it of others.

ACTION STEPS

If some of these principles are new to you, I would like to encourage you to identify two or three of them and begin to implement them into your business. Every month, take time to stop and review how you are doing and continue with the list until you feel you have confidently adapted these strategies.

Do you have any key principles that you implement related to what you read today? Please share it with us in the comments section and help me and others learn too.