I am a CEO too……………..So are you!

Everyone is a CEO of the organisation called “myself” .  Do we live like one and how effectively? Is the key question.

Corporate world has put CEO term at high pedestal, with so much of aura, mystique attractiveness, and expectations attributed to this word.  Most of us are not, nor will we, get to wear this title in our lives.  What does it mean- is all advice and research around CEO excellence and effectiveness not of any use to us? 

And now that we don’t wear that title, can our expectations from ourselves be any lower? Not really. 

How about living our lives as CEOs of our respective organizations called “myself”. 

Are we steering our “Self” organizations using similar frameworks and practices that we expect formal CEOs use to run professional organizations?

Consider the following:

1    Effective CEO defines and displays what the organization stands for…..consistently.  Have we defined our personal values, priorities and aligned our behavior is sync with the same?  Are we comfortable making trade-offs in line with stated goals and priorities? Have we defined the our brand preposition or have we left world to interpret us as per their convenience?

2    Effective CEO is clear about the performance measures that matter and is rigorous in their evaluation.  Have we defined balance scorecard equivalent, that covers various dimensions of life- social, health, wealth, etc, both for the short and long term?  Do we keep keen eye on our assets and liabilities and have established objective ways of measuring their strengths continually? Are we honest and strong enough to acknowledge to ourselves the true picture or readily accept convenient explanations?

3    Effective CEO monitors and adapts to the ever-changing demands of ecosystem:  Do we spend time understanding the context and needs of all set of stakeholders (parents, kids, neighbors, colleagues etc.) and have designed way to engage with them?  How sharp are our abilities to sense weak signals and shifts, and how dynamic are we to realign to the changed situation?

Above three are illustrative nudges that will provoke one to define the personal agenda to transform into an effective CEO.

In essence, being a CEO means embracing few non-negotiables, and being prepared to live by them: ie

Accepting Accountability for outcomes (its consequence of one’s choices with no-one to blame),

Engage in Continuous Learning (and reinvention, while tied to Values) and

Respect and Humility (whatever the provocation)

Take charge and experiment living like a CEO of “Myself” for a week and share your feedback with fellow CEOs!