As a CEO, managing people is undoubtedly one of the toughest parts of the job. You might have a brilliant business idea, excellent strategy, and a great team to work with, but managing diverse personalities, skill sets, and expectations can be a daunting task. Whether you’re leading a small startup or a large corporation, managing people effectively is key to achieving your goals and staying ahead of the competition.
People are messy and life is messy but as a CEO you are required to create order, structure, and process. Managing people is the hardest part of being a CEO so what you can do to overcome these challenges?
People are complex
Managing people is not like managing a machine or a process. People are complex beings with emotions, desires, and unique personalities. They have different motivators, communication styles, and work preferences. As a CEO, you need to understand your employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and personality traits to effectively manage and motivate them. This requires a lot of time, effort, and patience.
Managing expectations
When you’re in a leadership position, everyone looks up to you for guidance and direction. Your employees have high expectations of you, and it’s your responsibility to meet or exceed those expectations. This means setting clear goals, communicating effectively, and providing regular feedback. You need to ensure that everyone is aligned with the company’s vision, mission, and values. Managing expectations is challenging, especially when you have to balance conflicting demands from different stakeholders.
Dealing with conflicts
Conflicts are inevitable in any workplace, and as a CEO, you need to be prepared to handle them effectively. Conflict resolution requires emotional intelligence, empathy, and active listening skills. You need to be able to identify the root cause of the conflict and find a mutually beneficial solution. This can be particularly challenging when dealing with difficult personalities or high-stress situations.
Building a strong culture
Culture is the backbone of any successful organization. As a CEO, you need to create a positive work environment where people feel valued, respected, and motivated. This means fostering a sense of belonging, encouraging open communication, and recognizing and rewarding high performers. Building a strong culture takes time and effort, and it requires a continuous focus on employee engagement and satisfaction.
So, what can you do to overcome these challenges?
Firstly, invest in your employees’ personal and professional development. Provide them with the resources, training, and support they need to succeed. Secondly, communicate regularly and transparently. Keep your employees informed about the company’s performance, goals, and challenges. Thirdly, lead by example. Model the behavior and attitudes you want to see in your employees. Finally, create a culture of trust and psychological safety. Encourage your employees to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback without fear of retribution.
In conclusion, managing people is one of the hardest parts of being a CEO, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. By understanding the complexities of human behavior, managing expectations, dealing with conflicts, and building a strong culture, you can create a thriving workplace that drives business success. Remember, your employees are your most valuable asset, and investing in their growth and development will pay dividends in the long run.
Is it the pursuit of making more money or is it the pursuit of making more memories?
What are you making money for? I was recently talking to a business owner who decided to take the leap and be an entrepreneur. It is obviously no easy feat to go out to work for yourself. It requires a lot of money and a lot of time so you really need to be sure that this is what you want to do. You also want to make sure that the sacrifices you are making will be worth it. He is really doing a great job at it too. Having walked some of this journey with him initially his motivation was to have more time? But I asked is that why you should start a business. At our recent catch up he said it was to make more money. How much is enough money? What do you want the money for? It was this conversation that started me thinking about what is my purpose is it about making more money or is it about making more memories.
Where are you Spending Time?
This is something I think about how should I spend my time and what really brings me joy. My COVID experience has made this something I think about a lot more.
When you understand the things that bring you joy it is easier to allow life to pull you in certain directions. It is easier to be open to seeing the serendipitous moments too. I found myself being conscious about finding those moments you need to spend a little more time enjoying.
For me, it is small things that are often powerful;
An extra 5 minutes in bed in the morning enjoying an embrace from my husband. It is the sense of safety, relaxation and pure love. If I didn’t stop at that moment to take that in, to breathe in deeply I would miss it. I realise how lucky I am, and I try to take time to be grateful for life’s greatest joys and without a sense of gratitude I could miss it. I could easily get out of bed and get right in the busyness of the day.
The moment when I look out my window and know I have 3 incredible horses in my backyard. This was a childhood dream that I didn’t think was possible. When I go out in the paddock or look out my window it is about taking a mental picture and being present.
I love the mornings when my husband makes me poached eggs on toast. They are the most incredible poached eggs and no one else can make them as well. It is because every bit of them are done with love. The eggs come freshly laid by my free-range chooks and my husband knows how to poach the perfect egg. It is my favourite weekend breakfast along with the great coffee. I look forward to these breakfasts and I simply just savour the simplicity and perfection of the meal.
It is when my horse will master a new skill or something we have worked on together seems to come together finally. The time and hours put in it is those moments that provide me with elation.
Moments with my kids when there is laughter and when there is something new that they have mastered too. I have loved watching them grow into amazing humans.
The Joy of Giving
If you have ever had the opportunity to give someone something or do something that has really helped them, changed their day, or their life, you understand how powerful that is for you. There is something incredibly powerful in those moments where you can feel someones gratitude for making their life a little bit better. I love those memories these are ones I put on replay when I need to feel good as they always make me smile. I really love finding the perfect gift for someone.
Who do you want to be with?
Think about it: who would you rather spend your time with? Someone who is making money and spending all their free time doing so? Or someone who is making memories doing fun things with friends and family? Why do I ask this? Because in my experience, the people who are truly successful (and happy) have a balance between work and play. They don’t let work consume their whole lives. There are other things that matter to them besides making money. That’s not to say making more money can make you a lot happier than not having any money. I think that financial freedom is very powerful and being able to live a comfortable lifestyle certainly makes me a lot happier than being homeless.
Making More Money
I came from a working-class background. I know what it is like not to have money. I spent many years of my life making more money working harder than anyone else so that my children wouldn’t know what it is like to go without. I sacrificed a lot along the way and I still wonder whether it has been worth it all. I spent my time making more money it didn’t bring me the happiness I thought I would. I wanted to drive the fancy car, own my house and have fancy shoes. I guess what I have learned through this process is more things don’t make you happy. I have filled my life with having things and now I understand that people and places are what we remember on our deathbed, not the fancy things. It certainly won’t be my expensive coffee making coming to my bedside when I am sick and need someone.
Deathbed Moments
This is a profound question that was given to me by a young man who had too much life experience for someone his age. He had such a great time at Leading Together that he described it as a “deathbed memory”. I have started using this statement as my measuring stick and thinking is this a “deathbed memory” and I have started to realise it is the small things that are the most important. Having lost too many precious people too young you realise that things you miss the most are the simple things, not the grand gesture moments.
When you think about those precious life moments that you reflect on in your final hours what do you think that are they going to be? Making more money or making more memories.
The beliefs that we hold are just patterns that we’ve learned and developed over the years. There are a number of things throughout our lives that play a role in shaping our beliefs. Some of these might be supporting and nurturing, while others might be roadblocks on our paths to achieving happiness. Positive affirmations are a great way to change the barriers into supportive and encouraging truths. You can use positive affirmations to keep you moving forward. Here are four useful tips for writing positive affirmations that work.
Write Down Your Ideas
You need to take the time to determine what areas of your life you want to improve. Write down your ideas on how you would like your life to look and areas that you want to improve. After you’ve written down your thoughts, take a look at each of them and write down a few positive statements that reflect your vision for your future life.
Use the Present Tense
When you write down your affirmations, you want to be sure to write them in the present tense. Write them down as though you are experiencing everything you desire right now. You want to avoid using words like, within the next two months. . . because every time you use this affirmation you are saying to yourself and the universe that you are still two months away from achieving your goal. After you use this affirmation for one month, you will still be saying, within two months, which tells the universe and your mind that you haven’t gotten any closer to achieving your goals.
Focus on What You Want
You need to write your affirmations in a way that forces them to focus on what you want in life, rather than what you are trying to eliminate or avoid in your life. For example, rather than writing I’m not addicted to alcohol, a better option would be to write something like, I am completely free from alcohol. If you aren’t sure about how to write an affirmation in the positive, then you can imagine that you’ve already accomplished whatever it is that you want to achieve and describe yourself in that positive light.
Writing positive affirmations is both an empowering and exciting experience. Learn how to enjoy the process and try not to get caught up in the details of what you’re writing. Have fun with the process and try to relax.
Leadership is not a title you can assign to someone. It’s a set of skills that you develop over time and use in different situations. A lot of people think that leadership is about making others do what they want, but it’s not. Leadership is actually about making others feel like doing what you want them to do – by showing them why it’s important.
Leadership is the quality of influencing, inspiring or motivating people to achieve a shared goal. This definition seems simple enough, but what does it really mean to be a good leader?
Leaders inspire others to follow and provide an environment to be their best. Sounds simple but it is one of the hardest things to accomplish. A strong leader will also have the ability to execute strategy while motivating employees at all levels of an organisation or group. Leadership is not an easy job, so being able to develop trust with your team will prove invaluable on your journey towards building a successful team.
What Makes a Good Leader?
Some people are born leaders, but not all of us. Leadership is a learned skill, and the ability to become a leader depends on your attitude and actions. It also depends on your choices – yes, you have choices as a leader.
If you’re willing to learn what makes a good leader, consider these 8 tips:
Focus on yourself first. As a new leader or manager of others, it’s easy to rush into building rapport with those that report to you. A common trap is to try to be a people pleaser. I have seen this happen so many times where leaders try to be friends with their team and colleagues.
Improve your emotional intelligence and be aware of your strengths and weakness. You need to understand the space you are good in and when you need support from others. This is critical when you looked to for supporting and communicating with others
Be prepared to have someone you trust to debrief and confide with as you learn and grow (a coach or mentor)
When leading teams you need to find out what is important to them. You need to have empathy and care about what are their goals and ambitions are.
The most effective leaders are those who inspire others to go above and beyond their own expectations.
A good leader must be willing to lead from the front, not from behind.
He or she must know how to adapt as situations change, and make decisions with conviction in order to ensure success for everyone involved.
Be prepared to make mistakes… So many mistakes, but simply learn from them.
Leadership Learning From a Horse?
I’ve learned some valuable leadership lessons from training horses. I believe I have learnt more about being a leader and about myself from my horses than anyone else. This is a hard concept to believe but it is true. Having a horse that is so highly attuned to your emotions is quite a confronting experience. You see I was a highly anxious person, so many things would make me angry, nervous or just want to run away and hide. It is not a great way to live and the consequences for it are your health and damaging important relationships. Also, it doesnt make for a great leader!
Controlling Your Emotions
Having a horse that is a nervous anxious horse is not a fun experience and so I needed to learn how to be calm-assertive. This has taken years of hard work on myself, many mistakes but trying to seek out the answer. What I discovered also makes you a better leader. The calm assertive leader is what a horse needs but it is also what your team needs.
I have learned to lean into fear rather than run away. Not knowing how to manage or deal with a horse is scary and intimidating, however when you understand that they are seeking a calm assertive leader and they will follow. They need you to be brave and decisive when they are in fear. So too do your team. This is essential when you are in a leadership role and you will always have an element of fear when you need to make decisions that have no clear answer.
Horses have taught me to experiment and play. Because they always give you honest and immediate feedback it’s easy to find where you are at your best. If you are too stern they say no, if you are too soft they say no, if you are not your being authentic they say no. I horse will find comfort when you lead in your own way. This has helped me understand how to interact with different team members differently too.
Learning As a Leader
Learning to embrace learning, and embrace the learning experience. I love learning new things and constantly seeking answers or a new way to approach a problem. There is a place of being curious and open is where the magic happens. You need to find comfort in the awkward learning as will never have all the answers but if you are open to learning you can always find a way to stretch yourself and your team. Trying to keep growing to allow your team the space to improve and grow as well. Horses have made me incredibly curious as the more you understand, the more you want to know. They have opened doors to understand people.
People and Teams Are Different
You have to adjust how you manage people differently. Different people are motivated by different things and the way you manage one person may not get the best out of someone else. Being directive with tasks and steps for one person gets them motivated as they love a list and love a step by step guide. They need to know they are doing a good job because the instructions were clear and they want to follow them to the letter. Trying to manage a creative like that will get the worst out of them. Giving them exact lists and step by step instructions doesn’t allow for any creativity in how to do get a job done. They want to understand the job and then let them go away and get the job done. Well, I had my aha moment managing horses. I have a horse who needs very clear instructions and he will do as he is told, however, I also have a highly emotional mare who needs you to feel an emotional connection before you ask for anything. I am sure we have all had team members like this. One is all business and leaves their personal issues at the door, the other needs to know about your family and the weekend before you can talk about work.
Self Awareness
As a leader you can “fake it till you make it” but with a horse, you cannot lie. I have found a way to be more authentic with all my flaws and get more comfortable with who I am. This space is so much better to lead from.
You Can Be a Great Leader Too
If you don’t have access to a horse and a great trainer to learn how to lead. Focus on being your best version of yourself, and being honest with yourself. The other thing that I would say is to embrace the fear and love the learning.
Living in a world where we are constantly comparing ourselves to others, can have the sad result of us losing ourselves while trying to be more like everyone we see on social media. We find ourselves judging ourselves and others.
In order to live your purpose in life and to be authentically you the first step is to understand who you are. This requires you to be vulnerable and aware of – your weaknesses, your strengths, your beliefs, your goals, your personality, your motivations, and your morals.
These are all the traits that make you who are you and how you respond to the world. Once you understand what you are made of and you have to realize that all of those aspects are capable of changes and improvement.
In this guide, we’ll give you tips on how you can ultimately increase your self-awareness for the greater purpose of becoming the best version of yourself. Self-awareness is one of the key factors in improving your emotional intelligence.
Attracting Awareness
It’s easier said than done, we know! But it all starts with a suggestion to your brain, which can then get it through its filter and allow it to have an impact on how you feel, think and experience.
Let’s have a look at the 4 things you can do to become more self-aware!
1. Get To Know You
Have you ever sat down with yourself and asked the question: “Who am I?”
And more importantly… Would you be able to answer that question if it was asked of you?
The first step in building a healthy awareness of yourself is to understand who you truly are when you look at yourself objectively.
This step is easier if you think about yourself from an outsider perspective. Think about how people who know you well would answer. I find this is the easiest place to start. How would your best friend describe you? How would your family describe you and then you can start to dig a little deeper. Then you can think about your own perceptions of yourself if you were to look at yourself objectively.
During this process, you shouldn’t compare yourself to others, but rather look at yourself as an individual without comparisons while looking at your accomplishments, interests, beliefs, and personality.
Granted, though, you will never be able to map out your entirety on a piece of paper, but you can get to know the most frequently occurring patterns you have, that make the most of your life.
2. Journaling
One of the best ways to keep track of your daily emotions, reactions, and feelings is to keep a journal in which you write down those things.
It’s amazing how putting pen to paper can really put things into perspective;
Writing down your feelings, thoughts, failures and successes of the day will give you a fresh view of how you deal with things.
Journaling is a means of self-reflection to not only see your strengths, but also your weaknesses as it gives you the objective perspective to change bad reactions in the future.
Recording your daily way of acting and reacting will also help you clear your mind and open up space for positive energy.
During our daily lives we can become quite robotic as if we are on autopilot just cruising through our schedules and before we know it, weeks and months have flown by.
To savour every moment of the day, we have to be more mindful of what we do, this means being aware of good and bad habits while enforcing better habits more.
Trying to keep up with a fast-paced world can keep us from enjoying small pleasures like breathing in fresh air or simply going for a stroll around the neighbourhood.
Which tasks during your day give you a sense of serenity, calmness, and happiness?
Is it washing the dishes, meditating, cooking, or exercising?
Ensure that you do these kinds of activities more!
4. Ask For Feedback
Even though it might be a bit scary, it’s important to know what our friends, family, and even colleagues think about us and our behaviour.
Ask those closest to you to give an honest and open, but critical and objective, description of who they see you as, to give you a better idea of what people truly think of you.
Honest feedback from people around us will give us a better idea of who we are and how our behaviour affects our everyday lives.
Obviously, it’s important that you remain open-minded and non-offensive during an honest feedback session from a friend, listening with an open heart might help you recognize something within yourself you never knew was there.
In the end to be more self-aware, switch off your devices and go inward to discover the true you.
Once you make contact with the authentic person inside, you are well on your way to improve relationships around you and your emotional intelligence. You’ll in fact exit the main sequence of emotional and behavioural patterns, opening room for more, new experiences and things.
