A BIG part of being successful in your business is not about your New Year’s resolution or your 2015 plan. You can have all of that written out, with pretty branding, awesome graphics, bows and hearts decorated all over it.
Here’s what’s missing….
…stepping firmly into the role as the CEO of your company. Too many of you are wavering and not taking yourselves seriously. Planting yourself firmly into this role, and understanding the role makes the difference in making those well laid plans and resolutions stick.
What does that look like?
Well, here’s insight into the top 10 things CEO’s do that will get you on the fast track to success:
- Take themselves seriously – don’t joke about what you do or minimize it. Speak from a place of authority and show off your expertise, how you make your contribution to the world. Nothing is too small!
- Know the value of their time – be aware of time leaks. And those around you who waste your time. This is the #1 place to find lost revenue.
- Have a clear plan – here’s where your 2015 planning will pay off. Be sure it’s clear and precise; money doesn’t land in ambiguity.
- Make decisions – as part of the human condition, we ALL have a fear of being wrong. As a CEO, you just have to make a decision. Right or wrong, you will learn something super valuable from it. It also keeps you moving forward and out of the quicksand of being perpetually “stuck”.
- Attentive to personal needs – you can’t skip meals or workouts. Your body is the engine that keeps everything in your life running. Take care of it, and schedule it!
- Do what it takes – go the extra mile, call in an expert, gett up early to write your newsletter <wink> Commitment and consistency is a winning formula.
- Take full responsibility – don’t get caught up in the blame game. If something doesn’t go well, someone wrongs you, or doesn’t get something done, you have to take responsibility for everything in your business. Period. No whiners, no blame, no pointing fingers. Forget it. Take the experience to build a better mousetrap and use it as rocket fuel to be better next time.
- Know their numbers – start making besties with your digits. Know your revenue, your expenses, your profit, and cost of services at the drop of a hat. Look at your revenue daily (at the very least weekly!), be sure your billing is going out and invoices are getting paid. The 2nd largest place where money leaks occur, if you don’t follow the money…it’s going to follow someone else!
- Invest in training – CEO’s know they don’t know it all. Surround yourself with experts. People who know more than you. Look at who you surround yourself with. If you’re the smartest person in the room, change venues!
- Build teams of support – CEO’s know they can’t run their business alone. Work with the gifts you’ve got, and outsource everything else. Delegate. This can look like a cleaning person, landscaper, babysitter…even the kid down the street who can file for you 2 hours a week. Once your company grows, hire experts in their respective fields who do what you don’t all day long…like social media managers, administrative assistants, copywriters, webmasters, etc.
And just to be clear, here is what CEO’s don’t do:
- Let failures make them quit
- Get distracted
- Let people violate their boundaries
- Work themselves into exhaustion
- Concern themselves about being “liked” or most popular
- Subscribe to being perfect
- Get paralyzed by fear
- Try to do everything themselves
- Think they can learn everything on their own
- Get caught up in cycles of blame
Look at how often you spend your time in which camp. If you find yourself in the “don’ts”, take simple steps to move yourself up the latter to the “do’s”. That way, you can be the boss everyday and drive your goals home. Game on….