When I’m asked what I think the CEO’s job is, I say it’s only two things: Grow your People Grow your Company And then I ask the CEO, “Whose job are you doing right now?” Every CEO I have asked this question of has smiled … Read more
The process you go through to create your Executive Team will be emulated by your direct reports to create theirs. Make sure that process is worthy of repeating. Be a mentor. If you’ve made mistakes, share them. If you’ve done something that worked well, share … Read more
What Key Reports Do You Need to Implement Your Vision? From the following list, you should be able to identify three to five positions you’ll need to create right away or sometime in the first year. These will ideally become your executive management team: Chief … Read more
The best way to avoid being taken by surprise with the makeup of your executive team is to plan ahead by creating a one-year vision. Your one-year vision will allow you to clarify what positions need to be filled and under what terms, while also … Read more
What Talent Do You Need on Your Team? There is a big difference between being the conductor and being first violin in the orchestra. One is about accomplishing a group goal and one is about accomplishing a personal goal. The conductor of the orchestra is … Read more
Learning from Your Past Leadership Roles Think about the times you’ve held leadership roles in your life. (You may have been class president, a scout leader, a team leader in sports.) What were you doing? What team did you put together? Think through your past … Read more
Being a CEO is first, middle, and last about leadership. Leadership is not primarily about control or power (although you’ll have both, and you’ll have to make the best decisions you can about how to use each at different times). True leadership is the ability … Read more
Once you’ve identified your culture (hopefully with three words that are easy to communicate), you need to reinforce it on a regular basis. You can use your three words to go back and fine tune the final version of your mission, vision, and values statements. … Read more
Though more and more initial contact occurs online, often the first human interaction you have with your customers is through the people who answer your phones. It’s the rare business that never has phone contact with customers, so pay attention to this aspect of your … Read more
If you’re just starting a company, it’s much easier to communicate your intentional culture to each new prospective recruit or employee. You can make it part of your employee handbook and orientation, and have it posted around the office in visible places. But, more than … Read more