7 Habits of High-Performing CEOs Post Covid

Over the years, many books and scholarly articles have been written about the habits of top level CEOs and other successful business leaders. Typically, such content is designed to both inform and inspire better business leadership.

While some of these habits are universal, others however are rooted in the unique challenges and opportunities of the times at which they appear.

Today is no exception.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with shifting consumer trends and other global issues, many top tier CEOs have adopted a range of behaviors and perspectives to cope with new demands on their time, expertise, and skills.

In this article, we'll take a look at 7 of the modern day of habits that are powering today's CEOs and helping them to steer their companies to success in the age of Covid-19.

Setting the Stage

Whether COVID-19 goes away or continues to impact our lives, 2020 will forever be?remembered as a year the world was changed. All the lockdowns, stay at home orders, and enforced social distancing has left its mark on virtually every facet of life and work.

The business world has seen its own share of upheaval. Tried and true business models were virtually upended over night. In-house staff members suddenly found themselves in a juggling act of family obligations and remote work arrangements. Other employees were simply let go. Some customers had less spending money and were unable to leave homes, while others were rolling in cash and itching to use it.?

Through it all, senior business leaders and upper management have been focused on making adjustments to keep operations going. Even before the pandemic, the global economy had been swimming through a sea of change. Rising competition, increasing regulatory obligations and economic uncertainty in parts of the world, have been forcing corporations to improve efficiency in order to maintain profit margins and remain competitive. Rapidly advancing technologies, changing consumer demands, and industry disruption have also been catalysts for change.

The future thus presents both new opportunities and new risks for CEOs sitting at the helm of their companies. A recent IBM global CEO survey, reported that agility, technology and regulation are key priorities for CEOs post-pandemic. In other words, CEOs are focused on the business response to change, the adoption of advanced technologies designed to improve workflow and reduce waste, as well as the ability to keep sensitive data and networks say from criminal exploitation. To do this, business leaders need to rid themselves of distraction, discard out-dated systems and procedures, and give their businesses the ability to respond to threats and opportunities-- often in real time.

The pandemic is challenging CEOs and other senior leaders to realign priorities and to focus on what’s essential-- like the needs of their staff, business partners and customers.

7 Habits of Successful CEOs in a Post Covid World

Now that we have the backdrop, we can better understand how forward-thinking CEOs have altered their habits in response. The following priorities, rituals, and changes in perspective are powering many of today's business decision-makers:

1. They emphasize strategic leadership over adaptive leadership?

Adaptability is the ability to quickly, decisively and strategically respond to sudden shifts and changes in the environment. While adaptability continues to be a critical factor for success, it is a reactive response. Other competing companies can in theory be faced with the same shifting circumstances and arrive at a similar conclusion.

To maintain their competitive edge, today's high-performing CEOs are embracing a more proactive, anticipatory approach. With strategic leadership, business leaders are constantly scanning the environment for signs of future shifts and change. This environment can include external factors, such as buyer behavior and market trends. But, it can also include internal factors, like feedback from front line employees.?

2. They actively seek out feedback.

Soliciting feedback and ideas is not a new practice. Today, however, this practice has been put into high gear among top CEOs. The goal is to build networks that help business leaders see opportunities before their competitors do. When analyzing ambiguous data, they routinely invite perspectives from key, yet diverse stakeholders. They engage with their customers, suppliers, and other partners to understand their preferences and challenges.

They also invest heavily in market research and conduct business simulations to gauge reactions to new initiatives or products, and predict the most disruptive market offerings.

3. They listen to staff and seek to empower them.

Along the same lines, the best CEOs are obsessed with employee feedback. The actively seek feedback, whether good and bad. They are aware that feedback is necessary to successfully manage their staff. They also recognize that employees need guidance in order for them to succeed in their career development.

Culling suggestions, ideas and customer sentiments from front line staff in particular is critical. This knowledge helps the company maintain a positive customer experience at a time when customer experience can make or break a company's market share.

On the other hand, CEOs are comfortable letting their front-line staff take the reigns in their customer interactions. For instance, relevant data, such as customer feedback, can be shared with customer service and sales staff directly in real time so they can make independent decisions on the fly.

4. They prioritize their own physical and psychological health.

Self-care has been a key focus as CEOs adopt new work routines and rituals. The goal of such focus is generally to replace the lack of workday structure combined with the increasing demands on their time and energy.

Exercising and meditating on a consistent basis has become increasingly popular among CEO top performers, with many business leaders actually increasing their pre-pandemic workout program. These exercise regimens not only increase health and well-being, but help to bring more structure and control to busy schedules.

Aside from increased exercise, many top CEOs are also consciously working in breaks and downtime into their day and are more proactively managing their time with family and friends.

5. They reach out to their support network.

Even those at the top need to turn to others for support, advice or even a listening ear. Top level CEOs are putting more time and energy into building up their professional networks and refreshing old connections. This can include professional communities and masterminds and closed inner circles.

These support networks of high-powered CEOs are generally clustered around specific industries and often stem from pre-existing groups. In such spaces-- whether online or in person-- CEOs and other senior business leaders are turning to one another for advice on how to maximize their operations, solve issues related to the pandemic and best weather the uncertainty.

But, top CEOs don't just tap into their networks when they are in need of something. They also there to give of their time, expertise and knowledge to help other executives looking for assistance.?

6. They practice self-monitoring.

Even after settling on a daily cadence and building mental stamina, top CEOs recognize the need to monitor themselves on an ongoing basis. This helps them see if they are reaching their personal and business goals, maintaining positive habits, and sticking to personal boundaries.

The process of self-monitoring also helps them to quickly recognize areas where they may be getting off track. Much like the strategic approach to leadership mentioned above, this is about being proactive even with themselves. They are then less likely to get overwhelmed, since they better realize the limits of their control.

7. They work on developing resilience.

Resilience has always been a critical quality for business success. Knowing how to bounce back from a setback, gain valuable insight from the experience, act on it and move on, has never been more important. But, today's successful CEOs need to be particularly strong in this area.

There are generally two ways to achieve greater resiliency in the face of uncertainty and setbacks:

First, many CEOs focus on self-development and build themselves up with a process called cognitive reframing. Most people experience negative thought patterns through out the day. Sometimes, however, these thoughts are so ingrained and powerful that they interfere with relationships, job performance, and a sense of well-being. Reframing techniques help business leaders notice and change their?negative thinking?patterns by coming up with alternative thoughts that are more rational, positive and thus more productive.

Another approach among top CEOs to increase resiliency is to perform activities that make them feel empowered. This can include acquiring a new skill or learning a new topic or by taking up a new hobby. These activities not only broaden perspectives, they create more balance and well-being, giving CEOs more mental stamina to handle the bumps and detours in their path.

In short, CEOs today may face an unprecedented amount of challenge and uncertainty. But, there are many opportunities for growth and development, too. While no one can know for sure what the future holds, a CEO's simple shifts in habit and perspective can not only make the journey to business development more smooth, it can reveal the path to future business success.

About the Author

?Robert Moment is an ICF Certified Executive Coach and EQ Expert with over 15+ years of coaching and Author of the bestselling books, Executive Coaching and High Emotional Intelligence for Managers.

Robert specializes in helping new executives achieve peak performance and business success by identifying and removing their blind spots. Working with human resource professionals and companies to develop successful On Boarding solutions for New Executives. Risk FREE On Boarding or Full Return on Investment.

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