A Healthy CEO Mindset
As CEO’s we tend to want to do it all! We have such a great passion and vision for our business and we want to conquer every last detail. This is a good drive to have as a business owner, but at what point does that become overwhelming? SO overwhelming that we are taking on too many tasks and forgetting the reason for started the company in the first place. This is the moment where we lose our mission and need to take a step back.
Clear Mission:
Relax and go back to the basics. Have a meeting where you and your employees can get on the same page about what the company stands for and what they are accomplishing. Every person on your team should interpret the mission in the same way. When a team member faces a challenge, then they can refer back to the mission statement in order to make the right decision.
As a leader, it is your job to make sure your mission statement aligns with every area of your company. You are also responsible for making sure each of your team members clearly understands what it means and that they are a good match with those values.
Your Team:
When your company takes off it is a wonderful thing! However, understand that you need the proper team to maintain that success. We already know you want to do it all and control each area of business, which is why hiring is a crucial part in the success of your business. We tend to want to clone ourselves in our company. Meaning, we hire people just like us because we feel that will be the easiest way to make sure things get done.
Your team should be able to handle parts of your business that you cannot handle. Leaders have a certain set of skills that allow the company to scale and grow, but they aren’t always good at the back end of their business. It is important to hire people that are going to do those things better and more efficient so that you have the time to run your business.
If your staff is unable to make progress and doesn’t share your vision, then maybe they shouldn’t be on your staff. This is a great opportunity to see which team members can reduce your workload. This is also a perfect time to identify if you need more people on your staff or better people on your staff.
Execution Attitude:
Make sure you understand that progress is key, not perfection. As a business, you need to be progressing in every area or else you are wasting time perfecting something that will cost you time and money. This idea refers to having an Execution Attitude!
Execution Attitude is a key element of a healthy CEO Mindset because you are actually acting on your ideas rather than just creating a ton of strategies. Do not get stuck in an Execution Paralysis, because nothing will ever get accomplished. If you think of something great for you company, then test it out! You can perfect it along the way, having it LIVE rather than perfecting thestrategy. Companies need to remain innovative and driven by making progress.
Culture:
Often times we hire ability over attitude, because we know that they are capable of doing the job. However, that should not be your only focus when fulfilling positions on your team. I have hired many employees that were more than capable of doing exceptional work, but when they joined the team their attitude was bringing down the momentum of the company.
Some of the greatest interviewers ended up being lazy, unreliable and detached from the company. I understood that I was ignoring their attitude (or red flags) during the interview because they looked good on paper. Employees can always be trained and have the ability to do the job, but it is so important to make sure they match up with the culture of your company. Identify their core values at the beginning by asking them questions that could reveal those personality traits.
A Healthy CEO Mindset relies on your ability to identify those key elements in your business and understand your role within the company, as well as your team. Take the time to identify these 4 elements in your business and see the difference it makes.
