Being a CEO is a heavy task especially if you are the CEO of your own company. You really cannot blame anyone else for the failures on the table. Usually being a CEO in the corporate world means you have achieved a Bachelor's degree and you have a minimum of 10 years worth of experience. We tend to throw the term around like confetti. Do not worry though, to simplify things, a CEO basically is responsible for the company like how a mother is responsible for her child, she chooses what school they go to and what is usually best for them. You are the one calling all the shots. If this fits your description but you lack the 10 year experience, you are CEO in the making.
Let us break this down,
C- Chief
E- Executive
O-Officer
All three words scream authority, this position is NOT for the weak. There are a lot of things needed for you to handle this role with grace and honor but I will highlight what I think is important for a CEO in the making.
1. Communication skills.
The art of communication is very very important. I speak about this in my book The Money Maker Workbook. It is not only important for you as a CEO but also as an entrepreneur. Mastering the art of communication is IMPORTANT even before you extend this courtesy to your clients you must be able to communicate with your employees even during a heated conversation. Learning how to communicate with your peers builds trust, people feel valued and they will probably work harder. I grew up with my PA and we have a great relationship, I have never had a problem with my manufacturers, maintaining a great foundation does not mean you master the art of communication on the good days, it means you have to keep the same level of respect even when your peers are wrong.
2. Basic Psychology Skills.
You do not need to be the psychologist or therapist next door, you just need to know people, you need to understand them. You need to know how to convince people. You need to know how to get people to work together without drama. You need to make sure they work effectively and productively.
NB. As a seller/salesman/saleswoman you should look into courses in psychology, body language and ‘neuro linguistic programming’ to learn how to make something sell even if the other person doesn’t initially think they want it. Also make sure your marketing team also implements psychology in their advertisements and marketing content. When you understand your market on a mental and/or personal level, you are bound to deliver awesome results.
So many processes can be better understood with the knowledge of psychology.
For instance, optical illusions are based entirely on the way the brain processes visual information.
3. Tolerance and Flexibility.
You need to be able to tolerate certain things if you want to be the best CEO. I am sure you have heard the saying that goes "let sleeping dogs lie" or "if you stop to hit every dog that barks, you will never reach your destination" this basically means that you will have to find a way to deal with people without losing your cool. You will have to sanction certain actions as long as it gets the job done.
I know some people are hot headed, they won't let that happen. Like who do they think they are? Right. No. Stop. You want perfect? Hire robots. You will have workers that come in 30 minutes late, some will wear the wrong attire, some will always be late with that deadline and that is okay as long as they get the job done. This does not mean you have to let things happen. Tolerating does not mean enabling. Please understand this concept.
For example; Timothy is always late to work but Timothy is the most productive employee in the company. Are you going to fire Timothy? Where will you find someone with the same kind of passion? People are different. Tolerating Timothy means whenever he is late, you either deduct a % from his salary or he gets to do overtime with no pay. Enabling Timothy means you will smile at him and not apprehend him for his actions.
Being Flexible simply means that you are able to call the shots but you are also capable to fix whatever mess your employees have created. You have to be versatile, accommodating, ready and able to change so as to adapt to different circumstances.
4. Agile decision making skills.
You are going to have to be able to think and understand quickly. It takes me less than 5 minutes to think of how to pull me out of a bad situation. You have to develop your gut feeling and you also need to have confidence. You cannot make any solid decisions if you do not believe in yourself. How will you even implement them? You walk by faith, you do not always see things happening but you do them anyway. You cut your finger and the first thing you do is stop the bleeding. You do not sit to think of what to do, like you are going to pace back and forth with a bleeding finger wondering how you could ever fix it. It sounds pathetic right? Use your instinct. Mute your fear and increase your confidence. When you make quick decisions it is easier to come up with quick and effective solutions for your problems.
As a business owner and CEO in the making, it is very important to know that you are most likely to solve your problems faster if you have a business plan (Shop here).
5. Patience.
A lot of people lack patience. I have had people text me saying, "I started my business last month and I do not see any sales."
First of all sis/bro, things take time. You do not get pregnant and give birth the same day. You do not get to build a house in one day. Rome wasn't built in a day. The Great Wall of China was not built in a day. You can't afford losing your mind over petty things.
Your work Joe came in late twice in a row and you are already growing horns on your head and exhaling steam. No, relax love. You have to have patience with people, you have to have patience in general. You go off on Joe, your employees see that and they lose respect for you. Impatient people do not get far, you are so quick to finish the race until you realize it's not your race you've finished and now you have to go back and find your finish line. You are your own downfall. Have patience.
6. Business Law for Dummies.
As a small business owner, you must have the knowledge of the legal aspects of running a business.
Purposes and Functions of Business Law. The purposes and functions of business law include maintaining order, protecting rights and liberties, establishing standards, and resolving disputes when it comes to businesses and their interactions with individuals, government agencies, and other businesses.
7. Innovation
Since you are calling all the shots, the least you can do is be innovative. Innovation chases away the risk of losing market share to competitors. The lack of transformation, reorganization, revolution and modernization will make your business incompetent. You will be thrown out of the market because you are unable to improve.
Innovation is very essential if you want your business to thrive. As a CEO of a successful business you need to come up with new ideas to keep operations, products and services fresh. The process of bringing those ideas to reality is called innovation.
The use of social media is also very innovative mainly because brands are now using these platforms to reach out to 2.77 billion people. Catering to customers online has also helped a lot of businesses gain thousands of dollars without actually putting up so much work. Here's how you can manage your own online business.
8. Positivity.
You are what you attract. You attract what you think and/or say. How you behave and what you say builds your environment. No one wants to work with a bitter Betty and no one will ever reach their full potential if their boss is forever nagging and radiating negative vibes. In order to move forward in life, you need to be optimistic and positive in a realistic manner. Even if you have 10 years of experience if you do not carry a lovable personality, you will never ever get the job done excellently. You will get the job done for sure but not in the way they could.
9. & 10. The Ability To Take Action, Trust and be more inclusive.
You not only have to be able to make decisions but you also have to take action-you have to work on those decisions. I can decide that this year I am making my first million and I do not even plan for it properly nor do I bother to do what needs to be done for I to achieve that said goal. Decision making is not powerful alone, you need to pair it with taking risks. God didn't decide to part the red sea for the Israelis, he decided to make a way and he acted on his promise. How many of you reading this have decided to do something but never actually done it?
You made the decision to eat healthy but as soon as you see that deep fried chicken you forget to act on your decision.
You made the decision to start your business but as soon as you face a minor setback, you forget to work on your decision.
You told yourself that this year will be different. This is the year where you actually do something for yourself but you take seven days to think about the risks involved.
How many of us have neglected decisions we once made on our own free will? Will you ever let someone that has no faith lead you on? If they cannot sort their shit out, they will not sort you out.
You have to be a leader and it starts with yourself, if you cannot lead your own life then maybe you are not meant for this role. Go find something that suits you because this not for everyone. Running a business is not for everyone, so many people join this marathon but only a few people finish it, not everyone is born a risk taker and it is okay.
You must be willing to delegate, I know a lot of people that want to do everything on their own (I am included) but that is not how it works when you are CEO, you are a leader and you have done your fair share of work now is the time you let other people handle the work so you can worry about other things.
Being a CEO also means you are all about inclusiveness. You are all about being that blanket hat covers everyone, the umbrella that covers people from the rain. You cannot give Joe a paid leave and neglect Joanna. You cannot hire Caucasian people in a city where there are more Hispanic and Black/African people. You have to be able to be inclusive. It is what the world is like right now and people are not shying away from it. Whenever you are making decisions or approving something make sure it is inclusive.
That is all folks, I hope you this article is helpful. I wish you a great and fruitful 2019!
Comments