7 Ways to Maximize Your Potential by Embracing a CEO Mindset

If you’ve known me, worked with me or followed me here for any length of time, you know I have long believed that “CEO” is more than a position, it’s a state of mind.

In fact, I think that anyone can, and should, adopt a CEO mindset—no matter the position you are in or the number of years on your resume. Demonstrating accountability for taking on problems and owning the solutions is a powerful skill that will set you apart in your company.  

When I look back on my own career, if I had let my titles or skill set define me, I wouldn't be where I am today. I started in naval architecture and marine engineering in India, then transitioned to consumer goods in Canada to end up where I am now at one of the ten largest banks in the U.S.

To make the jump in each of these roles, I had to adapt. I had to be the CEO of my success, even though I have never held the title of CEO. 

As I’ve worked to adopt this mindset throughout my career, I also learned that no one is free of constraints—not even CEOs. However, constraints can actually be a good thing. They focus your creative problem solving by forcing you to think in new and different ways. I see this come to life every day at Capital One, where many associates lean into this mindset to design amazing products and customer experiences while working within their constraints.

Within Capital One and companies all over the world, there are examples of leaders—who aren’t technically CEOs—who have been wildly successful by adopting a CEO mindset. By watching these leaders and working toward this in my own career, I’ve identified seven ways to maximize your potential and make the jump to a CEO mindset.

1. Know Your Purpose: Purpose is the driving force behind everything you’ll ever do. Understanding your purpose starts with understanding yourself. What you believe as an individual is incredibly important in determining your career destination because your purpose should align with your company’s purpose. The most successful leaders know that a clear purpose is the catalyst for driving transformation. Purpose enables organizations to rise up and create amazing things. Purpose also drives individuals to stay focused on the bigger picture, motivating them to overcome the challenges that we all face in life.
2. Be Passionate: True passion and enthusiasm for a business, its products, its people and its mission cannot be faked. Great CEOs have an eternal optimism bubbling inside them. They are genuinely passionate about what they’re working on and what makes them tick. This passion inside of them is so strong that external demands and negativity won’t slow them down. Instead of dwelling on what’s not working or what isn’t possible, CEOs embrace challenges as an opportunity to innovate and improve.
3. Be Disciplined: Many folks stress over their constraints—budget, time, personnel, resources, working environment, autonomy, etc. They’re always working toward the next big promotion or cutting-edge role because they think their constraints will eventually dissolve and they will have “absolute power” and independence. But as I’ve stated, everyone has constraints—even CEOs. However, people who have a CEO mindset embrace self-rule, instead of pursuing absolute power and complete independence. Self-rule means that you understand your constraints and feel empowered to make decisions within those guardrails. It also means that you have the sound judgment and maturity to recognize when you need to escalate a problem that is beyond your control.
4. Let Others Lead: Making the jump to a CEO mindset requires accepting that you can’t do everything alone and it takes everyone to win. Great leadership is often demonstrated by giving others the opportunity to lead—whether that person is a peer, superior or direct report. Successful CEOs know they aren’t always the expert. They know when to take a back seat, let others showcase their talent and provide insight into their area of expertise. It’s also important to note that this concept doesn’t just apply to leaders. In whatever role you are in, you can let others provide their perspective on your work, learn new skills and take the lead on ideas.
5. Leverage Others: Knowing it takes a team to win, CEOs leverage everyone and everything around them—for problem-solving, motivation and collaboration. They lean on their teams, delegate wisely and trust others with projects. They believe that transformative ideas can come from anyone. Like every step in this process, leveraging others can apply to any job you have. It also applies when you face constraints because chances are that someone else has gone through the same thing. They may even have ideas on how you can innovate within the constraints and help chart your path forward.
6. Communicate and Listen: Treat your coworkers like a CEO would treat their stakeholders. Communicate clearly and carefully to them. Don’t just assume people understand—ensure you set clear expectations and continually reiterate your message. This requires patience, but it’s one of the most important parts of the job. Equally as important is listening. CEOs have the opportunity to hear from everyone—outside parties, other innovators, regulators, peers and employees at all levels—which can cultivate fresh ideas and perspectives. And great CEOs don’t just make people feel like they are listening, they actually listen to them and care about what they are saying. That means asking for input, following up with probing questions, encouraging honest feedback and looking for opportunities to champion others’ ideas.
7. Take Care of Yourself: Many of us have the natural tendency to take care of everyone and everything around us, both professionally and personally, and put ourselves last. However, physical and mental health is vital to being successful and avoiding burnout. If you adopt a CEO mindset, you will understand that to bring your best work forward, you must take care of yourself—and encourage your colleagues to do so as well. When you do, it also means that when the bumps in the road come, you’ll be in the right mindset to take them on.

Keep Driving Forward

Some of these steps may seem simple, while others may be difficult for you. But the good news is that you don’t have to tackle each step at once. I challenge you to pick a few of these to implement over the next 30 days. Keep them top of mind and make an intentional effort to improve on them. You may hit roadblocks and speed bumps along the way. But if you keep driving forward and adding steps over time, the CEO mindset will become part of everything you do.

Which of these steps are you going to implement over the next 30 days? I’d love to hear what resonated with you the most.