As a CEO, sometimes in order to gain control you have to give up control
Running a company has many rewards. CEO’s and company Presidents are rewarded with impossibly long hours, dizzying responsibilities in many areas and the lives of their employees as well as employee families in their hands. With all the technology available today CEO’s can constantly be reached, stay in touch and manage their business lives on a moment-to-moment basis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For people like me, work begets more work and it never seems to stop.
So how does one go about changing that? Giving up control of certain aspects of your daily business routine is a way to start. Recently I did this and the results have been extremely positive. An example would be that I had handled a segment of client business that several members of our team could handle, but for whatever reason I continued to perform those tasks. Old habits die hard they say. I won’t say that it was easy but giving up control of some things can definitely give you the breather you so badly need AND most importantly allow you to see things more clearly.
I am betting that there are things all CEO’s and company Presidents do because they have been doing them for a long time. It’s easy to continue to do things you know and things you are good at doing. But are all these tasks that you do every day things only you can do? Can someone else in your organization perform some of the things you normally do? Sure they may not do those things as well or as quickly as you (at least not at first) or the same way you do (get over that fast), but my sense is that there are a number of qualified and extremely capable people in your organization that can take a great deal off of your plate.
It won’t be easy but the benefits are that you get a chance to be a better leader, contribute to your team in different (and hopefully even more significant ways) and help the entire business move forward all at the same time.
Think about all the things you have to do every day. Who else in your company can do some of those things? Really think about it and I will guarantee you that at least a few things can be off-loaded to a willing and competent team member.
In order to do more things you have to consider what things you can afford to do less.
What could you give up starting tomorrow?
Category: Leadership
Tags: CEO, Leadership, Managing
About the Author: Mark Kolier
A member of Vistage for more than five years Mark is a partner in a new agency micro-network concept called www.moddern.com. With a particular expertise in direct and digital marketing, Mark has served both business-to-business and busine
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I’ve found it a tough sell to actually convince someone to give up control. I think it’s more compelling to talk about altering WHERE they exercise control and how to realize maximum impact. This way, it becomes a win-win as opposed to suggesting that a leader acquiesce and trust that it will work out.
I’ve found it a tough sell to actually convince someone to give up control. I think it’s more compelling to talk about altering WHERE they exercise control and how to realize maximum impact. This way, it becomes a win-win as opposed to suggesting that a leader acquiesce and trust that it will work out.
I wonder if control is just another word for “managing.” Unfortunately, even though there are thousands of leadership books and courses out there – it seems that leadership gets lost in the necessity of running a small business. And many CEOs are pushed into managing when they want to be leading.
I wonder if control is just another word for “managing.” Unfortunately, even though there are thousands of leadership books and courses out there – it seems that leadership gets lost in the necessity of running a small business. And many CEOs are pushed into managing when they want to be leading.