It's Not a Popularity Contest

Life as a CEO can be both extremely rewarding and immensely challenging. As the saying goes, 'the buck stops here, at the CEOs desk. Great CEOs understand that they are answerable to the team, the board and the shareholders. They make the difficult decisions, are the champion of culture, committed to the vision and author of the mission. being the CEO takes a special type of person.

Now, for all the rewards that can come with being the CEO is an equal dose of challenges. For many CEOs, the challenges of recent events have likely resulted in restless nights, deep contemplation of 'what if', and a sense of pressure and overwhelm as everyone looks to you for the answers. The ability to enrol and inspire is far more than just a context of position, it's real. How do you enrol the team when there is so much uncertainty? How do you inspire when there is a constant environment of change?

The key is the CEO's ability to make decisions with clarity, purpose and decisiveness. To have a focus and drive on what is right for the organisation's health, to ensure sustained growth in the direction of the vision. This is most effectively done when the organisation has cultivated a culture built on trust. Trust that everyone is aligned and on the same journey, bought into the shared vision and put others and the organisation ahead of their own needs.

For the CEO it will require a level of vulnerability, to know that you can be vulnerable and that you don't have to be seen as the all-knowing oracle. Trust that those around you will value in equal terms they are being vulnerable and therefore engage in meaningful dialogue. Knowing what is valued is the organisation and not the need to be seen as invulnerable, or right because that's my field of experience or merely 'because I said so'.

A complimentary addition to trust and a natural bi-product is healthy conflict. An understanding of saying what needs to be said when it needs to be said. Not being heard for self-indulgence or just being the loudest in the room. But rather to gain a deep understanding, to challenge a course to establish validity, and always be focusing on the interest of the organisation and others. A CEO who chooses harmony over healthy conflict essentially put their needs above that of the organisation.

Clarity is another pitfall for CEOs when they get it wrong, often choosing certainty in the decision to be made. CEOs must ensure that everyone within the organisation is clear on their contribution, expected outputs and the overall direction and have been given that level of clarity regularly. There will be occasions where you can only give clarity on what you know, the known knowns. Where CEOs focus on popularity and feel that everything should be fair, and delay in offering clarity, that will be far more damaging.

COVID was a great example where there was such a lack of certainty the only clarity a CEO could give was the next day or week, or what was within their control. Waiting to see what certainty would be shared was only ever damaging. Share clarity, and then reinforce that clarity. It will have a positive impact and improve engagement, there is no worse feeling than being left in the dark.

The overarching context of this article is that of not seeking to win the popularity contest. being popular will not make you a better CEO, far from it. A great CEO will be able to truly enrol and inspire the team and will be defined by the organisation's ability to hit targets, achieve goals, and enjoy the results it first sets out to achieve. The CEO who is able to create an accountable organisation doesn't need to be driven by popularity.

The CEO who understands the position they hold and embraces their responsibility naturally doesn't shy away from the decisions that need to be taken. A CEO who is comfortable with being vulnerable will create a solid organisation founded on trust. A CEO who embraces and encourages healthy conflict doesn't need harmony as a sense of personal well-being. A CEO who understands clarity over the need to delay for certainty will engender far greater team engagement. Ultimately the CEO who isn't in pursuit of popularity will paradoxically be admired, respected and loved by the whole organisation.

How do you do? How healthy is your organisation?

About the Author

Steve Gaskell the 'Challenge Coach' is a High-Performance Business Coach who unlocks the high-performance potential in those he coaches. The author of 'Business Shouldn't be this Tough' is also a keynote speaker with a focus on high-performance outcomes through coaching and also creating extreme ownership within the boardroom. A former Army Officer Steve understands the challenge and interFEARence faced by business owners, CEOs, directors and executives in leadership and confronts them head-on to focus on unleashing true potential.

If you would like to unlock the potential within your organisation, board, leadership, team or yourself just ask. For more information on the topic of this newsletter, you can message Steve via his profile, call on 01392 927997 or email?[email protected]