/move Book Dos & Don'ts: Leadership

As CEO, you are the one person who can launch your company’s Mobilization. But moving a great ship of state in a new direction to create and capture value is not a one-person job. Mobilizing an entire company requires more energy than just you alone can provide.

Success requires a cadre of key leaders focused on the big jobs that need to be done throughout the organization to keep your ship moving in the right direction and gaining speed. A cadre of leaders who have the capability to do those big jobs and create value now—rather than someday in the future—and who don’t hesitate to jump in and play full out. Leaders with the kind of “change and grow fast” mindset that inspires others to move with speed.

Your work as CEO here is to connect leadership talent to the value you want to capture. Think in terms of where you want the company to be rather than where it is. Identify the jobs to be done to get there, assign those jobs to specific value-creating and value-enabling roles, and then fill those roles with the right talent. The leaders who take on these roles make up your Leadership List.

DO connect talent to value. Quickly get the value-creating and value-enabling leaders in place you need to win. Compensate them fairly: pay for the value you expect each leader to deliver, always with an eye on the market.

Two players on your Leadership List need particular attention: your CFO and your CHRO. Get the best talent you can afford into these roles. Your CFO and CHRO are your true strategic partners during Mobilization. The three of you, working well together as a “Golden Triangle”, can mobilize the organization faster.

Avoid the common tendency to resist changing up your leadership team until it’s too late. Hesitating can waste valuable time and resources and potentially put your Mobilization at risk. Think of this as a critical mid-season transfer window, a great opportunity to trade in players who are not right for the game you are about to play. And, like all transfer windows, time is of the essence.

DON’T leave leaders too long in critical roles that they cannot or never will be able to do in time.

This is not about replacing your entire leadership team all at once. Change only as much as you need to—no more. Keep individuals who are already making great contributions. Compensate them fairly: the last thing you want is for them to jump ship mid-stream. Make sure that if you repurpose them, you do so for the right reasons. You want your entire player lineup, not just your new hires, contributing from their strengths.

Want to learn more about what and how successful CEOs communicate during Mobilization? Check out /move: The CEO’s Playbook for Capturing Value.