This is my last post of 2014 🙂 Most people are looking back at how their year was. I’m going to the end the blogging year with how CEOs and leaders can look back at their performance and also what they can learn and improve upon for the future.
If anyone is subjected to intense scrutiny, its the CEO of a company. They’re expected to be perfect all day, everyday. However, just like any other human they’re prone to making mistakes, often due to the nature of their job and experience. Without knowing it, they may inadvertently veer off track and get caught up in the minutiae of running a company.
Here are some common pitfalls, you, as a CEO, may encounter.
1. Favoring “Loyal” vs “Skilled” Employees
Ask Yourself:
When you come into the office in the morning, do you generally see the same one or two people everyday?
This one is completely out of habit. Its because there are some employees who are so easy to depend on they become a habit. They’re the first ones you call when there’s a problem and because of this you’ll often overlook other, more capable ones.
For the bigger picture this greatly affects employee morale. Everyone knows of the chosen few and more often than not people think that there’s no point in going the extra mile because they simply won’t be noticed.
2. Getting Emotionally Attached to the Company
Ask Yourself:
Are the majority of your decisions made from the heart or mind?
How many times have you made a decision from the heart instead if the mind? I bet you can think of quite a few examples. When you’re at the helm of the ship it’s only natural to take on a ‘parent figure’ responsibility.
The challenge of course is that business decisions usually need to be taken based on logic, not emotions. When emotions take the reign you’ll probably be inclined to keep an employee who should’ve been terminated or hang on to a client that was better left released. In other words you’ll be taking actions that are not in the best interests of the company.
3. Dreaming Without Sharing
Ask yourself:
What power do I have that absolutely nobody else does that in the organization?
If the answer doesn’t have to do with creating a dream that others can help achieve, you need to do some thinking. Every CEO had the ability to envision a future which others cannot see.
However, if this dream is not being shared with your team well then they’re not going to be able to help you achieve it are they? There’s probably no formal method of communication that will work for sharing your passion. It had to be an integral part of your personality.
Ate there any other questions that as a CEO you think you should reflect on for the new year? Please share them below. I’ve got some exciting things happening on 2015 so subscribe to the blog to stay in the loop all year long.
Its been a good year. I look forward to an even better one!
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