Why getting clear on your job description will make you a better CEO

There’s a rolling assumption that when you reach the dizzy heights of the CEO role you’re probably immune to the minutiae that drags down our inboxes and to-do lists. I think it’s probably a lesson you learn the hard way that, especially in your first time in this space, it’s actually anything but.

As a first time CEO it’s easy to become a dumping ground. This risk is especially acute when you haven’t done the work to fully empower your team. If you haven’t done this work effectively you become the de facto ‘most passionate person’ and (I’ve seen this a lot) you become the one that takes responsibility for the ‘things that matter’ because they only really actually matter to you!

This is even more likely as the things that have made you successful up until this point – high achiever, ability to work at pace, results focussed and so on - actually start to work against you if you only apply them to yourself. You step in in the interests of getting things done, or for pace and it costs you, big time.

Strengths become straight jackets. And what formerly gave you zest for your work becomes the source of resentment and frustration. The impact of this plays out not only in your day to day experience of your role but in the relationships between you and your team and ultimately the pace the business can sustain ongoing.

I wonder if you can see this playing out in your role?

One of the best ways to begin to tackle this is to get super clear on what your job is.

If you’ve evolved through the business, especially as founder, whilst you’ve grown your team, then this is especially needed. After all, it’s unlikely you’ve ever really had a job description.

That said, it’s equally important when you’ve stepped into the role. The contextual change and the reality of your day to day will invariably shift your role and the emphasis you put on different areas.

In Elevate and Evolve, my new leadership development programme for CEOs, MDs and founders, we spend a whole section of the programme designing your role. We’ll get crystal clear on what your role is and importantly, what it isn’t.

Taking this approach allows you to see the gaps in both your own capabilities, experience and motivation but also, if there’s things you need to drop, where there might be gaps in your organisational capability too. That kind of clarity can be priceless. No more guesswork!

The approach we take will allow you to see yourself through the persona of who you are, how that fits with your role (especially now you have clarity on what it is) and the systems you operate in.

We’ll think about what boundaries you need to create, what is the clarity you need, what are the beliefs you need to drop!

It’s this rigour of approach that will galvanise you around where your energy and focus needs to be to work at your best, be your most creative self and get the most out of your team.

To find out more about whether you’re the right fit for Elevate and Evolve book a call using the button below.