THE ROLE OF A CEO

I just finished my Vistage International meeting yesterday. Vistage International is an organization of CEO's where CEO's get together once a month for an all day meeting. In these meetings we talk about the various issues that are on the minds of the CEO of a Company. One topic that was discussed was "What is the Role of a CEO"?

There was quite a bit of discussion around this topic.  We talked a great deal about what we should be doing and what we should not be doing. At the end of the conversation, we came down to six essential roles of a CEO. Here they are:

STRATEGIST - This role sets the future direction of your Company. The process of creating an effective business strategy for a Company includes creating the vision.

AMBASSADOR - Meeting with important clients and partners once or twice a year for an informal lunch or dinner. The idea here is to get to know the client and for them to get to know you.

INVENTOR - Success in business requires the CEO to continually search for new products or services. The inventor ensures the strategic direction of the Company by aligning new products or service ideas with the client.

COACH - Being a coach or mentor to your direct reports. The CEO should instill a culture of learning throughout all levels of the organization. This will ensure they can see the big picture of the Company just as you can.

INVESTOR - You should know the market value of your Company. Given that, you should also strive to grow the business in the way the market value will increase. You should see your Company as an investment.

STUDENT - Stay active in some form of continued professional development. This practice should lead you outside your area of expertise to make you a more rounded business executive.

These six essential roles should be an everyday occurrence for you and your Company. They should be driving your daily calendar and how you make best use of your time.

DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL VISION STATEMENT?

My business coach asked me to prepare a personal vision statement the other day. I was intrigued by his request and wanted to learn more. Here is what I found.

A personal vision statement is a statement that describes what you want to create for yourself and the world around you. The first step in creating a personal vision statement is to write down the results you want in your life that you deeply desire. Describe in detail your imagined experience. What does it look like? How does it feel? Please use present tense when describing your ideal life.

The second step is to reflect on your first vision component. Is what you wrote close to a picture of what you actually want? In this part, you are learning what your vision is. It is irrelevant whether your vision is possible or not. Suspend your doubts, worries, and fears about the limits of your future. Continue to write as if real life could live up to your deepest wishes.

I know it might be difficult to write down what you deeply desire. Those thoughts enter your head like, I can't have what I want or I'm afraid of what I want or I don't know what I want.  These types of thoughts need to be suppressed as you continue to write your vision statement.

The third step in describing a personal vision is to answer these questions for the following categories.

Self-image:  What are the qualities of the person you want to be?
Tangibles:    What material things would I like to own?
Home:          What is the ideal living environment?
Health:         What is your desire for health, fitness, and anything to do
                     with your body.
Relationship:What types of relationships do you want to have with friends,
                      family, and loved ones?
Work:           What is ideal professional or vocational situation?
Personal:       What would you like to create for individual learning?
  
Start with a blank piece of paper and sit in a quiet place to write/type, and think. A few deep breaths and then let yourself go and write down all the things you want in life. You will be amazed when you put  your dreams to paper. Good luck.

ENCOURAGE THE DREAMS OF OTHERS

It is quite ironic that when people share their dreams with others, many times the first reaction is to criticize the dream and find ways their dream will not come true. The reason for such behavior is that it reminds them of how far they are from living their own dream. This way, they can feel good about staying in their own comfort zones and not pursue their own dreams. This what we call a dream killer. Never allow a dream killer in your life. All they want to do is bring you down.

Instead, surround yourself with dream believers. Dream believers encourage another's dream. When someone shares their dream with you, let the person know that you value their dream and they have the traits necessary to succeed!

Its a great privilege when people share their dreams with you. They put a lot of trust in you by sharing something as personal as their dream. Its a powerful place to be. Be careful with your words as you talk to them as a right word will inspire them while a wrong word might give them a feeling of lost hope and they will abandon their dream.



You can do it!

 When talking about another's dreams, show support by asking about their challenges and offer your assistance. Ask questions about their dream. Give them suggestions that will give them the feeling that they can reach their dream. Give them confidence and say you believe in them. No one achieves a worthwhile goal alone. You will be amazed how people will light up when you help them achieve their dreams.

Finally, check back with them from time to time and see how they are doing. Show interest and care by taking an interest in their progress, talk through their obstacles, and lend assistance when you can.

Remember, surround yourself with people who believe you can do it and stay away from those who say you can't. Help someone with their dreams and you just might achieve yours.

IT WORKED FOR HIM

I recently finished the latest book on Colin Powell "It Worked for Me." Its a wonderful summary of the General's life and his lessons on leadership and anecdotes during his life.

The begins with his 13 rules for leadership.  Some of my favorites are: "It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning." A great reminder not to act too quickly. A good nights sleep takes the edge off of many problems. Another is "It can be done!" This statement reminds us that you can do it and don't surround yourself with instant skeptics. Another is "Share the credit." People on the team need recognition and feel a sense of worth as much as food and water. Remember, share the credit, take the blame. The other ten rules are gems. Good life lessons taken from a very full, exciting life.

The rest of the book is broken down into parts. The second part covers "Know Yourself, Be Yourself." It includes a reminder to "Always do your best, someone is watching." A great lesson in self discipline.  The third part is "Take Care of Your Troops." He includes one of his best phrases "The Guys in the Field Are Right and the Staff Is Wrong."

The fifth part covers "Gettting to 150 Percent." The chapters in this section outline his climb to the top with some strict policies that were lived by him and his staff. One good chapter "Time to get off the train." The piece describes the relentless effort to do a good job right up until the time you are told to leave.

The final part "Reflections" is a series of chapters that tell a variety of stories about some of the larger tasks he tackled in his life.

All in all, its a great book. I would highly recommend it. Its very concise and would make a wonderful addition to anyone's leadership book library.

ITS THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW

I remember years ago my boss asking me how my marketing efforts were going. I said I was frustrated because it seems that I wasn't getting any business referrals from any of my friends. My boss turned to me and said "I think you might need to get new friends." 

His point was that a lot of people's success lies in the quality of their business network. The best place to start is to remember that when you first meet a person in business remember to think that you are with a red blooded human being! Take an interest in that person and learn as much about them as you can. Where are they from? Do they have a family? Where did they go to school? What is their favorite hobbies? Do they have a favorite restaurant? Ask questions and get to know them.

The next step is to remember to believe in yourself, because your network does. You have a lot to offer yourself. You are a special person with lots of potential. Be confident when discussing your business or profession. Think of things that will help the other person. Think of what can you do for them and expect nothing in return. 

You should show enthusiasm and confidence when talking to people. Be upbeat! Show a burning desire for success as this will resonate with the others in your group. Think of some creative ideas in meeting the customer's needs.

I remember one time I was getting a shoe shine. The gentlemen had a wide array of interesting magazines for me to read. He asked me what kind of music I liked and changed the music station to my favorite kind of music! He had a notice posted for free use of cell phone. He finished the shine and gave  me a little hand cloth with his name and phone number on it to remind me to see him again for a shoe shine! Guess what kind of tip he got that day!

No matter how much technology enters our life, its still a people business. People will buy from those who care about them and who they care about. Start caring.

MOTHERS DAY: A WELL DESERVED DAY OF CELEBRATION

This Mothers Day was a very special day for us. Last Thursday, our son turned 18 and we decided to combine a birthday party and Mothers Day into one celebration over the weekend. My Mom made the evening special when she came to the party and surprised us with two photo albums she has kept the past 18 years showing all the activities we have had as a family. She spent a great deal of time putting together the album for all of us to enjoy. It was great to revisit all the great memories of the past. She did a wonderful job!

But that's what Moms do. They make moments special by being there around the clock 24 hours a day 7 days a week for their kids. I never appreciated my mother more than the day we brought home our firstborn from the hospital. Seeing my wife waking up every two hours (I woke up too!) to feed the baby and change his diaper (I changed the diapers too!) which seemed to go on for months and months and months. From there, we felt victorious when the baby slept through the night, his first few steps, and of course the momentous day when he was potty trained. From there, life flew with preschool, kindergarten, grade school, middle school, and high school. All those field trips, swimming lessons,  boy scouts, baseball games, helping with school plays, help preparing school projects, running school fundraisers. and of course making each holiday of every year special.  All that time, Mom was also there to be home nurse, room mom, field trip driver, seamstress, nutritionist, and the umpteen other roles she plays in the kids life. My wife has been a wonderful mother.

My mom was a wonderful mother too. She was there for me every day and night making sure I had enough food and clothing. She made sure I made it to school on time with lunch. She drove me (Dad did too!) to my hockey games, tennis lessons, school games, and plays. She did all the things for me as we have done for our children. I even went by her house today and she pointed out her pencil and pen holder which I gave her as a present from my 8th grade field trip. We have some of those kinds of mementos around the house too.

I hope all the Moms in the world enjoyed their special day today. They deserve all the praise in the world for what they have given us. They will never know how much we appreciate all the things they do to make our lives special. Thanks Mom. Love you.     

BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE

I received an email late in tax season about a baseball player at my son's high school. During one of the games, he was accidently hit in the eye with a baseball.  There is a good chance that he will need eye surgery that will end his baseball season and possibly his baseball career. When I see things like that, I always take a minute and think about how fortunate I am for the life that has been given and how I need to stop thinking about the petty things in life.

We all live really spectacular lives. We are truly blessed living in the United States and enjoying the freedom and benefits of this country and what it offers to each of us. When you combine that with our health, wealth, and happiness, we all have a pretty good thing going for us. We should all appreciate the gifts we receive in life.

With that, one of the best things you can do is to show kindness to other people. When you see someone who is struggling, reach out to them and give them a helping hand. If they are lost, give them direction so they can find their way. Help a mother carry her baby stroller up the stairs. Thank a teacher for being a teacher. I think you get the picture.

There are many ways to payback your good fortune if you think about it. You just need to develop the habit of looking for someone you can help each day.

HOW I FEEL ABOUT APRIL 15TH.

April 15th has always been a big day for me. Its a big day in the hearts of CPA's as the tax filing season is coming to an end and we can get back to a normal life and spend time again with our families.

But April 15th is also the anniversary of when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and played his first game (4/15/1947) in major league baseball as a Brooklyn Dodger. Back in those days, we had two leagues. The major leagues and the negro leagues. The leagues were segregated both in players and in fans.  There were many talented ball players in the negro leagues that could compete in the major leagues. As major league baseball entered the 1947 year, the Brooklyn Dodgers with Branch Rickey decided it was time to integrate an African American into baseball. They chose Jackie Robinson to play for their team.

I always think about how he felt on that day.  The Brooklyn Dodgers played the Boston Braves in front of a crowd of a little over 26,000 people of which 14,000 were African American. He heard racial slurs not only from the stands and the opposing dugout but from some of his teammates as well. Some of them even went to Leo Durocher and said they would not play with a n*****.  The Dodger manager took a stand and told the players that you don't play you don't get paid and will be traded.

The Dodgers won 5-3 with Robinson playing first base. For the remainder of the year, he took all the abuse one person can handle (his contract said he could not retaliate for two years). His courage for that first year is remembered today in baseball. They now require all major league teams to retire his number (42) and many of the African American teams publicly give praise to Jack's courage and fortitude to stick with it and allow them and other African American players to play major league baseball.

After baseball, Jackie participated in many civil rights movements right up until his death in 1972 at age 53. I am glad that we remember Jackie Robinson for his heroic efforts and his work in opening the doors for other African Americans to prosper. Thats what April 15th means to me.

LIVING OUTSIDE THE BOX

A friend of mine quit her job last week. She quit her job without another one waiting for her. She quit because her job was getting in the way of her passion. She decided to live outside the box. I was intrigued by her decision. Leaving a perfectly good job takes guts. She wants to focus on the things that she wants to do on an everyday basis. She decided to change her life and live her passion now.

Living outside the box is tough to do. We all enjoy the creature comforts of a safe environment. A good job, a nice home, a good relationship, and other things all keep us content, for a time. We wait for a time when we are allowed to work on and feel our passion. Many people wait a long time for this to happen. If you decide to live outside the box, you need to do three things.

The first thing you need to do is to FOCUS and have a clear vision of what you want to do. You need to create a clear vision statement of the things you want to do with your life. The statement has to describe exactly of where you currently stand and where you want to go.

The second thing you need to do is to get the BEST. I mean the best tools, the best map, the best coach or mentor, and the best model of someone who is the most successful in what you want to do. Modeling an already successful person will help you develop the path you need to be successful. Try and meet with them. You will be surprised how helpful they might be with you. They want to pay it forward.

The third thing is to resolve your INNER CONFLICTS. Eighty percent of success is your psychology and the rest is mechanics. Your inner self always tells you the things to create doubt. You made a bad decision, you cannot make your goal, or the goal is too high (or too hard). To resolve your conflicts, you need to align your life to what is most important to you and what you value. Remove as many obstacles as you can. When everything is in alignment, you will take action. If you don't live outside the box, you might miss out on something that could change your life.

THE GREATEST PLEASURE IN LIFE

When someone makes a decision to achieve an extraordinary goal, they are working on becoming a different person. An extraordinary goal increases confidence, develop a competence, and boost their level of motivation. Its an exciting time when you focus your attention towards something you really want. Its a great day when you decide to change your life!

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. They say it in a variety of ways. Sometimes the messages are subtle by offering distractions. Some good and some not so good. They also just come out and say you cannot do it. This is a very tough conversation because the message many times comes from someone you love and trust.

If you really want to acheive something extraordinary, you need to manage your mindset. Surround yourself with people and things that keep you focused. A friend should support you and help you stay on track. Stay away from those who offer distractions or provide negative feedback. This is important! If they cannot see this, then it might be time to find a new friend. Manage your workspace and your home settings too so that you are reminded of your goal and your commitment.

The best advice I can give you to achieve your goal is to stay focused. This would mean eliminating all obstacles and distractions. Try associating with more positive people, who add to your life and stay away from those who bring you down. Feed you mind with good news and positive information that will keep your spirits up and on track. Also, control the language you use, especially the way in which you describe yourself. You will find it easier to succeed. Good luck. I know you can do it.

HAVE YOU HAD THE TALK YET?

It goes without saying that the people I have known all my life are my parents. As I write this, I am a 52 year old with two parents who are both in their seventies. My mom recently had a bout with cancer and it made me start to think that my mom will someday not be with us. Dad's time will come too. Its an inevitable situation that we all have to deal with at some point in life.

A good friend shared with me a book summary called "The Parent Care Conversation." by Dan Taylor. The book summary covers six strategies for dealing with the emotional and financial challenges of aging parents. This often difficult topic offers a choice of you either being proactive and work with your parents or be reactive when the times comes to deal with their care and passing.

The first step is always the toughest. The parents need to share with you their feelings and wishes about their care and passing. This conversation will hopefully reveal your parents vision of their care and passing, their financial needs and wants, and their wishes for the property and possessions they have at the time of their death. The talk should also include what professional care they might want or need at any point in the process.

Dan Taylor outlines his CARE system which stands for challenges, alternatives, resources, and experience. Its a process of listening and asking the right questions so you can understand and articulate their wishes. From there, you can explore the alternatives and resources available to you to hopefully provide the experience our parents would like to have.

I highly recommend you read this book. Its a great way in getting you to start the talk with your parents. Being proactive is a far better approach than being reactive when emotions are running high. Hopefully, with open communication you will be the needed advocate for your parents when they need it the most.