Successful CEO Leadership

By Hema Crocket

CEOs are born and not made CEOs have huge personalities and are outgoing. CEOs have MBAs. These are just three of the many myths that exist about being a successful CEO What made a successful CEO five or ten years ago differs from what makes a successful CEO today. This shift is primarily due to the many internal and external pressures brought about by changes in technology, employee preferences, the way people work, and where work is done.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the need to have a strong CEO at the helm guiding the company in the right direction. You are that CEO.

So, what exactly does successful CEO leadership look like? For starters, let your passion and purpose drive you. Think about why you became an entrepreneur in the first place What drove you to start your own business? Why is this what you ’ re passionate about? If you keep your WHY and your mission in mind as you build your business, then the decisions align with your purpose as well

Then, think about the kind of culture you want to create within your company Even if you don’t have any employees and don’t plan on hiring anyone in the near future, creating a culture that attracts the right type of customer will be essential. Keeping your purpose at the core, think about your core values.

Successful leaders, and incredibly successful CEOs, use their values as anchors to help drive decision-making and guide behaviors. If you haven’t spent time thinking about your values, set aside a few hours to do so It’ s important to be intentional about these values. While many words sound great, your values should be meaningful to you These values help shape the kind of culture you want For example, authenticity is very important for me. Within my company, we live this value by ensuring we bring our whole self to work each day – we create a human experience versus just an employee experience.

Next, gain perspective Often as CEOs, it can be easy to think we have all of the answers or think that our way is the only (and right) way. This kind of thinking is how CEOs slowly start to lose business and respect One way to gain perspective is to think about going to the balcony If you were watching yourself from a balcony, what would you think about your actions, behaviors, and words? Would they align with your core values?

Successful CEO's make decisions.

This ability to take a step back and gain perspective is how strong leaders start to build their self-awareness. They are aware of how their actions affect others

However, gaining perspective isn’t enough

Successful CEOs also challenge their view. If you’re a team of one, you can still challenge your perspective by asking your board of advisors or the top two to three people closest to you their thoughts on a significant decision you need to make. Ultimately, you may decide to go with the decision you initially made, and that’ s okay The point here is to surround yourself with people who can offer different viewpoints and prevent confirmation bias.

Finally, successful CEOs make decisions

Throughout my career, I have come across countless CEOs who are unable to make a decision, whether due to analysis paralysis, fear, or something else The truth is, there are no ideal or perfect decision-making circumstances. As a leader, it is imperative you make timely decisions as accurately as possible with the information provided. A great CEO will decide, begin executing on the plan and make adjustments along the way based on results and new information as it becomes available This allows the company to continue moving forward and for employees or strategic partners to see that you can navigate challenging situations.

While there are many attributes that make a successful CEO, these have been some of the most important for me when I coach entrepreneurs and other business leaders. Being a successful CEO is hard work. It requires you to take a look at your own actions and behaviors first, and it forces you to be intentional about how you show up every day for your employees and your clients. Ultimately, becoming a successful CEO is a journey that you will continue growing and learning The work is never done, but the rewards are pretty amazing!