Wanna Be a CEO? Do These 10 Things

Founding a company is something that can be done instantly with the founder declaring to the world that they are the C.E.O. Yet we have millions of C.E.Os of either dead or dormant companies or still those of briefcase organizations.

Everyone seeking to seriously develop their legacy must at one point either work with a CEO or become one. The truth of the matter is that a C.E.O is the Chief Executive Officer, the main person leading the organization. In life, everybody who intends to be successful should be what the Author of “What’s Your Genius”, Jay Niblic calls Self Executive Officer.

Over the past several years, I have worked with a C.E.O of a company that is growing throughout Africa. The following are some of the things that I have learnt either from this CEO or from others that I have studied:

1. They Get ‘it’ Done: Anything worth doing by a CEO is worth finishing. CEOs want things to get done. They will put everything on the line to have ‘it’ done. They are vision oriented and seldom take no for an answer. I saw a quote in a CEO’s office that goes, “Lead, follow or get out of the way!”.
2. They think on their feet: They know the importance of meetings but most CEO’s make decisions on their feet. Time is of essence and it is seldom wasted in meetings. A CEO comes to a meeting with a clue of what he wants and rallies the team around it. He knows the people want to be led and are looking to them for direction.
3. They have a board: No, not that traditional board you are thinking of! CEOs have what I call a ‘Sounding Board’. That means that they throw ideas around to some trusted people and feel the feedback before taking action.
4. They take No Excuses: A CEO is not embarrassed to deal with an excuse ruthlessly. Nothing irks a CEO so much like an excuse especially if a task was assigned and resources allocated. A CEO cannot be at all places in time, and that is why when they entrust someone with a task, the want it done, period!
5. They Work Now, Play Later: You will not find a true CEO taking a luxurious trip when there is a task to be done. You will seldom find them ‘sleeping over’ something. As long as it can be done today, it MUST be done today. They have a zero tolerance to procrastination.
6. They Must Be Right on Schedule: CEOs run tight schedules…and they run them with a tight fist. A small 30 mins delay can cost a CEO a billion-dollar contract. They have planned and prioritized their daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activities. They don’t operate like a butterfly in flight, although they can be flexible enough to accommodate change.
7. They Acknowledge Mistakes: CEOs as much as they allow little room for error, they do acknowledge that mistakes do happen. They quickly learn from them and move on…very fast. They do not build monuments of mistakes.
8. They Negotiate Relentlessly: I have noticed that most poor people who get some money would like the world to think that they are not poor. So what do they do? They buy at the exact quoted price. CEOs are so meticulous about their expenses. They check them through. If there is a chance of a discount, they will grab it, and I mean GRAB it! They negotiate relentlessly.
9. They are always in motion: You will not find a CEO idling around…there is always a task that they can accomplish. They are always on the move.
10. They Take Charge: There is no waiting! CEO’s take charge. There is no turning down anything until it has been thoroughly scrutinized.

If you want to be a CEO, which you should, consider modelling your life around the above points.

Wishing you all the best, am sure you will make it!