Seven Ways to Build a Great CEO Mindset
Lois Sonstegard, Ph.D., ACC
Revenue Growth Consultant | Build Collaboration Systems| Scale Start-ups & Entrepreneurs | Grow Leaders.
Seven Ways to Build a Great CEO Mindset
What does it take to build a powerful CEO mindset? Whether you’re sitting in the CEO chair now or aspiring to get there, studies show that the most successful CEOs:
1. Create a vision.
This is your most important job as a CEO. The organization looks to you to create the corporate vision. Think outside the box. Your vision should be ambitious, inspiring and not limited by your past experiences. Communicate the vision every chance you get. Then take the steps to ensure that all of the organization’s actions help achieve that vision.
2. Advance the corporate culture.
You can’t overestimate the value of creating and supporting the right corporate values and culture. Start with the basics, such as treating everyone equally. Then go above and beyond to build a culture that promotes excellence yet also recognizes that mistakes will be made. Daniel Coyle, author of The Culture Code, has identified these three “musts” for a culture of success: nurturing safety, sharing risk and uniting around a common purpose.
3. Lead with positivity.
It’s easy to say, but not always easy to do. Yet it’s your responsibility, as the CEO, to turn your frustration into something positive. Keep calm, be inspiring and never forget that your positive attitude keeps your team from burning out. It helps to surround yourself with people who are not only smarter than you but also have the right motivation and resilience and can keep their cool when things get tough.
4. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Communication is key if you want to be a successful leader. Be sure your employees understand the corporate vision and their role in helping to achieve it. Recognize, too, that communication is a two-way street. Successful CEOs listen and observe. They talk with their team frequently and use the most appropriate communication vehicles to ensure their message is being heard.
5. Learn every day.
CEOs don’t have all the answers, but they’re willing to get them. As a CEO, you are always in training. Look for new learning opportunities for yourself and your team. Be adaptable -- especially when you fail. When you have a growth mindset, you learn from failures and aren’t afraid to take chances in the future.
6. Embrace process.
You want your business to grow. But that’s not possible unless you have repeatable processes for every aspect of your organization. That includes a training process for your sales team, an onboarding process for new employees and new clients, and a marketing system that generates viable leads cost effectively. Only with the creation, implementation and your strong support of repeatable, trainable processes will your organization be able to grow.
7. Delegate appropriately.
Another challenging but essential task: delegating. Successful CEOs don’t try to control everything. They provide training their staff members may need and then let them do their work. It can be tempting to step in on specific decisions that attract your attention. But, in many cases, your staff members are in the best position to make these decisions. Let them do their jobs so you can concentrate on yours.
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