13 Opportunities To Lead Like a CEO

Who wants to be the CEO?

I am working with a number of CEOs right now, and talking to a range of others about what they are experiencing. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It is an interesting time.

Most CEOs can see a world of opportunity in front of them. There are just a couple of things to sort out first!

And often, their executive team is one of those things.

This is critical to a CEO’s success. The majority of CEOs will find it very difficult to deliver in their roles, to deliver on the organisational purpose, vision, and strategy, if their executive team is not effective.

Here are a few scenarios I am observing:

1. A CEO is new into their role, and they have inherited an executive team. Not the one they would have chosen. Lack of trust, familiarity, and understanding of their team’s strengths and optimum contribution, compromises their ability to lead the organisation effectively.

2. There has been a reorganisation or restructure which has resulted in a refreshed executive team. A team that often has limited executive experience and presence.

3. The leadership gap between the executive team members and the CEO is too large. Their leadership is not sufficiently mature.

4. The executive team members are not on the same page as each other.

5. The executive team is not on the same page as the CEO.

6. The executive team are disconnected from what is really happening in their organisation. In some cases it seems like they are living in fairyland rather than the real world.

7. Members of the executive team choose not to let go of the things they have previously done well, which are no longer part of their roles. This limits their ability to operate at the executive level.

8. The executive team are not visible to the rest of the organisation.

9. The messaging from the executive team to the rest of the organisation is not aligned or consistent.

10. The executive team members are not stepping up their leadership. They are relying on past performance, and sticking to the way it used to work, rather than recognising they need to be proactive, elevating their own leadership, innovating, and creating the future.

11. The executive team is simply not being accountable to themselves, each other, their teams, or their CEO.

12. The executive team is overwhelmed with responsibility and priorities.

13. The executive team is short term focused, and lacking horizon vision.

If one or more of these scenarios are showing up in your executive team, what are the potential impacts? For you? For your people? For your customers? For your future?

As the CEO it is up to you to work with your Executive team. To help them move into a more effective state. The buck really does stop with you.

So now. Who wants to be the CEO?

I’d love to know your thoughts.