How to Start with WHY to Clearly Implement Your What

The back of a man in a striped sweater who is looking at a bulletin board with lots of papers on it

Have you ever thought about why some people are more successful than others? Why are some people more innovative, influential, and profitable? The author, Simon Sinek, asked these questions too before researching some of the world’s most outstanding leaders to see what they had in common. From Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Wright Brothers, they all started with why. Sinek’s published book, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Action, explores the importance of knowing your why when it comes to business and leadership.

 

Sinek explains that people don’t buy what you do. They buy into why you do it. Companies like Apple, Harley Davidson, and even Coca-Cola all have major brand loyalty. You won’t see a Coca-Cola lover buy a Pepsi or an Apple lover purchase an Android. These companies, and many others, have found out how to target people with their’ why.’

 

In the book, Sinek offers a framework called The Golden Circle. This circle looks like a target. The center point is your why, the circle surrounding is your how, and your outer ring is the what. Every company and leader should know what they are doing, but you have to figure out why you’re doing it to get on target. By learning how to clearly articulate your why, how, and what, you will create authenticity as a leader and in the company. But how do you figure that out?

 

First, you must articulate your why with clarity. Apple’s why is to “think clearly.” It’s simple but effective because it clearly states why they do what they do. Apple wants to help people to think clearly, and their devices are a huge help in many people’s lives. When trying to think of your why, make sure it fits with what you do and is clearly stated so there is no room for confusion.

 

Once you understand your why, you have to focus on how to implement your why. The how of your leadership or business are the values, principles, and goals of what you do. Sinek believes that knowing your how will give you the ability to stick to what is essential in your leadership. Staying true to how you vow to accomplish your goals is one of the most challenging steps.

 

Finally, once you understand your why and have solidified your how, implementing your what suddenly becomes more straightforward. Stick by your why and how so that your what becomes trusted among those around you. Your what is your services, the products you sell, people you hire, marketing, public relations, and even your office’s culture. Keep reinforcing your why and how in all of those things to build transparency and trust within your workplace. To learn more about your why, how, and what, get a copy of the book. And check out my review of another of his books, The Infinite Game.

 

Everything is Figureoutable: How to Reach Your Goals as a Leader

Everyone, even the most successful leaders, struggles to achieve their goals sometimes. Whether there’s a lack of motivation, no will to begin, or too much going on, we’ve all been there at some point. Luckily, according to Marie Forleo’s book, Everything is Figureoutable: How One Simple Belief Can Help Us Overcome Any Obstacle and Create Unstoppable Success, adopting a mindset that everything can be figured out can help you reach any goal no matter how big or small.

 

The book explores everything from relationships and happiness to success and reaching goals. Forleo provides a nine-step framework to support the mentality that everything is figureoutable and that if you set your mind to something, it can be achieved. In the book she outlines several personal anecdotes about times the steps worked for her and others.

 

To reach that intimidating goal you’ve been thinking long and hard about, you must be willing to try new things, connect with others, and be prepared to do the work. You have to believe that you can achieve your goals because if you can envision something, you can get it done. If you cut out excuses as to why you can’t get something done you can accomplish even more. Your actions are because of yourself and not others and things around you.

 

The book suggests that to accomplish your goals you should clearly define your dream. You don’t want to start any projects before you know what you are trying to accomplish, so define your dream by outlining exactly what your end goal is. If you know what you are aiming for, you’re more likely to hit it.

 

Another thing that gets in many leaders’ way when working toward a huge goal is waiting to be “ready.” The book explains that waiting until you’re ready causes many people to never start. So get ahead of the game because there will never be a good time to begin. Don’t get too caught up in everything you do being perfect. While you want to ensure you complete quality projects, you have to remember that progress is important to every task.

 

Along with several other steps, the final step to adapting an “everything is figureoutable” mindset is to remind yourself that you have something special to offer. As a leader, you have something unique to bring to the table that the world needs. By empowering yourself by believing you are needed, you are more likely to achieve your goals.

 

By adopting the nine steps outlined in the book, all leaders are guaranteed to achieve even the most intimidating goals. Get yourself a copy of the book and shoot for your goals. Remember: don’t make excuses, make progress, and start now.

Pivot Your Business Successfully During Times of Crisis

When COVID-19 hit and temporarily closed businesses across the country, many leaders were unsure of where to go next. While many were able to re-open doors, many states are being forced to shut down again as cases rise. With such uncertainty of what is around the corner, it is essential to understand how to pivot your business to meet your needs. 

When thinking of how to change your business, it can be hard to know where to start. Luckily, you are not alone. Many businesses have successfully pivoted and have documented their success. Below are three steps that business leaders have utilized in their time of change.

Accept that Pivoting is Essential 

Businesses have to pivot their processes and goals every day, not just in a crisis. According to Small Business Chronicles, “The world is changing every day: the population is changing, customer trends are changing, technology is changing and the economy is changing.” As a leader, you have to accept that change is inevitable and be ready for the changes to come your way, even when we aren’t in a pandemic. After accepting this fact, change will become easier to manage.

Be Okay with Remote Working and Being Online

One of the most important things a business can do is accept and fully embrace the remote work setting. As a leader, you need to understand that your employees are also going through a rough time. From plans being canceled, not seeing loved ones, and having limited access to childcare, many things are changing in their lives. Be flexible in the remote workspace, and show your workers that you care. Embracing the online work environment can increase employee productivity even while at home. 

If it’s possible for your business, now is the perfect time to transfer services to an online setting. Many leaders have wanted to advertise more products online, and now is the ideal time to make the switch. Making your products more readily available can positively impact your business even when your doors are closed.

Don’t Rush

Pivoting can be hard, and pivots often need investment, time, and critical thinking to implement. Talk through your ideas for pivoting your business with people you respect as leaders. Getting advice, taking time, and carefully planning your pivot ideas are essential to successfully rolling out any new business ideas.

There are many important resources that business leaders can utilize right now, including our services. We can connect you with other business leaders who are facing small and large business changes to stay afloat during the pandemic. Visit our website today https://ceosolution.net/. 

How to Prepare Your Business for the Future

The business world is continually changing. As a new leader emerging into the world of business, it is crucial to understand what qualities you need to capitalize on to succeed in your career. There have been several publications about the present business world, but with the ever-changing environment, few books have addressed business in the future.

In Jacob Morgan’s book, The Future Leader: 9 Skills and Mindsets to Succeed in the Next Decade, he addresses the ongoing change in the business world and interviewed 140 CEOs and over 14,000 employees. Asking questions like “how is leadership changing andwhy?” and “what should leaders do now to be ready for changes?” the book explores what business leaders can implement to be ready for future business endeavors, challenges, and successes.

While many top business leaders believe that many core aspects of leadership will remain the same, many of Morgan’s interviewees think that there is one way to succeed in the future; by creating a vision and executing it with strategy, future leaders will have the skills and mindset needed to succeed. With intensive research, the book gives the most accurate and recent look on the future of leadership that shares exclusive insights from the world’s top CEOs.

The Future Leader outlines the skills needed to succeed. From learning the most significant trends and how they impact the future of leadership and their implications, to understanding the top skills and mindsets that future leaders will need to possess. While there are nine skills and mindsets outlined in the book, two of the most crucial steps can be summarized as futurize and humanize.

By adopting a futurized mindset or bringing the organization into the future, businesses utilize long-term thinking, adapt to new technology that will inevitably come around, keep up with the pace of change, and move away from the status quo. Businesses can work without technology but could never run without people, so the second important step is to humanize your company. Lead with diverse teams, attract and retain top talent, reskill and upskill employees, and make the organization human to create a work environment that will make employees want to invest in the business.

To learn more about the nine steps you can implement into your business today, read The Future Leader and transform your organization into a future-ready business. This book is an excellent read for you and your team to prepare for its future.

Should You Offer Unlimited PTO?

After the COVID-19 crisis, many companies are considering switching to an unlimited PTO policy. After the uncertainty of the past few months, it is important to discuss what is best for your employees and your company. There are many advantages to an unlimited PTO policy and some disadvantages. What works best for every company is different, but it is crucial to stay up-to-date with policies in the current job environment.

Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) plans usually have no given allotted number of days that employees can take off. Employees can take as many vacation, sick, emergency, and mental health days as they need as long as they keep up with their mandatory work and keep up with performance goals. Unlimited PTO plans usually require supervisor approval beforehand, except in cases of sickness or family emergencies.

If you’re worried about your employees taking too much time off, many studies have shown that employees with unlimited PTO still take roughly the same amount of time off as those without it. So why do you need it? Trusting your employees to take time off to take care of themselves allows for a more positive work environment.

There are several advantages to an unlimited PTO plan, as it fosters a trusting relationship between you and your employees and encourages responsibility. Unlimited PTO reduces the likelihood that employees will come to work when sick, something we all have heightened awareness of because of the pandemic. Depending on your state laws, it saves you money because days off are no longer accrued, and you don’t have to pay out vacation time when an employee leaves the company. It also looks like an attractive benefit when recruiting job candidates.

While there are advantages, there are also some disadvantages. If an employee seems to be taking off too much time and is no longer meeting productivity standards, it can be hard to terminate them; they were technically given the time off. Establishing and reviewing performance goals can mitigate this issue. It will also still be necessary to track time to prove that employees are taking time off in compliance with regulations.

Unlimited PTO plans are a great way to increase responsibility and trust within your company. With the ongoing COVID-19 crises, many companies and employees wished they had this plan in place. It’s never too late to switch, but what is best for your company is ultimately up to you.

Identifying Team Weaknesses

Do you know your team’s weakness? What makes your company weak compared to other companies? If you don’t have an answer to either of these questions, it’s time to rethink. That’s the premise behind Lisa Bodell’s exercise “Kill the Company” in her aptly named Kill The Company: End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution. The book may have come out in 2012, but the “Kill the Company” strategy is still an effective one.

 

Many times, when we’re asked to name our strengths and weaknesses, we’re hesitant to point out our weaknesses. Instead we name things the team could maybe work on. The exercise isn’t taken seriously. And because it isn’t taken seriously, those true weaknesses within a company are never improved upon. Those same weaknesses can be easily preyed upon by your competitors. That’s why you need to practice the “Kill the Company” exercise.

 

The “Kill the Company” exercise consists of looking from the outside in. Pretend to be your competitor. How would you see your company? Where are you truly weak and struggling as a company? You have to take yourself out of the equation so that you can determine how to fix your weaknesses, who to partner with, and how to target your competitors. Essentially, you need to flip the script on your business and evaluate all the ways in which competitors could see your team or company as weak. It’s an effective strategy because it helps you gain on your competition.

 

Some of the biggest weaknesses within companies are failure to take risks, complacent culture, and failure to innovate. If you want your team to take risks, but you hold them back, how can you expect your company to be viewed as innovative? The biggest mistake you can make is being complacent. If you’re content where you are, you won’t grow as a company. While you’re happy staying the same—not getting weaker or stronger—other companies are busy sneaking up on you.

 

Corporate change certainly is not easy, but not changing is a bigger problem. Identify your weaknesses, then strategize about how to fix them and how to implement change. Instead of implementing change from the top down, Bodell recommends starting from the middle out. Change doesn’t necessarily have to be a huge change all at once; it’s more important to make consistent, lasting changes. Start with small changes, and do them every day. Even if your weaknesses don’t improve immediately, hold strong. Persevere and implement a new strategy for positive change. Find your weakness before someone else kills your company.

 

If you like these concepts, be sure to pick up Bodell’s book!

Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

Emotional intelligence is a key part of a successful workplace. Also referred to as emotional quotient (EQ), emotional intelligence is defined as the way an individual understands, communicates with, and handles emotions. Emotional intelligence is not only a popular topic in psychology, but the business world as well. That’s because emotionally intelligent people lead to a stronger team that communicates well.

 

Emotional intelligence isn’t just about recognizing emotions in yourself, but also recognizing and interpreting emotions in other people. Expert researchers on the topics, Psychologists Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, name four levels of emotional intelligence. They include:

 

  • Perceiving emotions
  • Reasoning with emotions
  • Understanding emotions
  • Managing emotions

 

We use these four levels of emotional intelligence to interact effectively with others. They allow us to understand the emotions behind others’ behavior so that we can make sound decisions and solve problems. Some leading researchers even argue that people who are highly emotionally intelligent find more success in life. This may be because emotionally intelligent individuals tend to be stronger leaders and are adept at managing stress. However, emotional intelligence is important whether or not you are a CEO or leader within the company.

 

Emotional intelligence is highly coveted in the workplace because it is a skill that helps you communicate with others effectively, manage stress with ease, and even move up the career ladder. It is a skill that not only helps you problem-solve, but it increases your ability to effectively work with and train others.

 

There are some signs that you have an emotionally intelligent team versus one that is struggling with their emotional intelligence. You will notice that emotionally intelligent employees make good decisions, easily solve problems, work well under pressure, express empathy toward teammates, and easily take constructive criticism. On the other hand, employees that lack emotional intelligence may play the victim, fail to work as a team, criticize others, and fail to communicate effectively.

 

If you want to improve the emotional intelligence of your team as a whole, there are a few strategies you can implement. While many are naturally emotional intelligent due to their upbringing and personality, it can be developed. Training involves improving self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and motivation.

 

Showing Leadership by Taking Care of Your Team

Business Team

Now more than ever, it’s important that you are taking care of your team. After all, they are the people who help take care of you day after day. Some believe that you should prioritize customers, investors, and board members before your employees, but that isn’t necessarily the best method. If you prioritize your team, they will continue to prioritize you and keep your business running effectively.

 

Your Team is Everything

An unhappy team can cause issues aplenty for you and your business. Your team is the foundation of what you do. They take care of the customers, they make the product, they help think of new products, and they market the product. Take all that away, and you only have yourself left. The investors, board, and clients that you’ve been prioritizing will go away very quickly. Simply stated: your team makes everything happen. If you take them for granted, fail to recognize their talents, and don’t prioritize their health, they may be apt to underperform, frequently call in sick, or altogether quit.

 

Team Over Customers

There’s a reason they say the customer is always right, so of course, you want to prioritize them. They’re the people that provide the money that keeps your business going so you can pay your team and continue to grow your business. It can be easy to fall into the trap of overpromising your customers and placing the burden on staff members. This can lead to employee burnout and unmet expectations for the customers. This is a surefire way to sink your business. Make sure you are prioritizing your team first. This will allow them to perform at their best, put out their strongest work, and make customers happy.

 

Team Over Investors/Board Members

Your team is your source of creativity. Listen to them. Help foster that creativity and encourage it. Put value in their ideas. If you’re focusing too much on what the board or investors are telling you to do or the products they want you to make, your team may not buy in as well. Everyone’s opinion is important, and to an extent, your board and investors control some of your decisions but make sure everyone on the team is on board with the decisions being made. Their opinions about the business and products matter, too.

 

 

 

Top 2020 Leadership Books

Are you looking to strengthen your leadership skills in 2020? Whether you want to improve your confidence, build your emotional intelligence, or change your leadership approach, you can take yourself to the next level with these books.

Title: The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
By: Robert Iger

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to run the Walt Disney Company and its 200,000 employees? You won’t have to wonder any longer. This book gives you the full scoop about the leadership skills Iger has embraced in the forty-five years he has been with Disney. If you are looking to embrace innovation in our technological age while leading with curiosity, courage, and optimism, add this book to your shelf.

Title: See Sooner, Act Faster: How Vigilant Leaders Thrive in an Era of Digital Turbulence
By: George S. Day and Paul J.H. Schoemaker

This book operates on the idea that vigilance is a coveted trait in the fast-paced business industry. It helps leaders pinpoint weaknesses, respond quickly and strategically, and anticipate threats. This book will teach you how to be a vigilant leader.

Title: The Infinite Game
By: Simon Sinek

Do you often find yourself working toward a goal, achieving it, and then thinking, “Now what?” You aren’t alone. The thrill of the pursuit fades fast. Sinek argues that we need to realize that we are constantly transforming and we should lead with an infinite mindset. The endpoint should be unknown, helping you to building an innovative, inspired organization.

Title: Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth
By: Richard Boyatzis, Melvin L. Smith, and Ellen Van Oosten

If you’re trying to build your emotional intelligence this year, this is the book that can help you do it. Research and true stories come together to provide evidence for how coaching with compassion can help people grow in meaningful ways. Throughout the book, you can expect questions and exercises that will promote self-reflection. Instead of providing an answer to the problem, the authors try to teach leaders how to instead compassionately lead employees to their own solutions.

Head to your favorite local bookstore to pick one of these up!

Raising your Leadership Capabilities

Have you ever heard of the Law of the Lid? The Law of the Lid states that everybody hits a lid, or a ceiling, at some point in their career. Let’s learn more about this.

Whether you’re an athlete or a CEO, this can happen to you. Perhaps you’ve finally reached a specific running goal, but no matter how hard you train, you can’t improve your time. Or, as a leader in a business, you may have accelerated quickly but then stalled out. The same goes for a CEO. You may be great at managing a $5 million company, but you’re stalled when the company grows to $25 million, and you no longer know how to manage. At some point, everybody hits a lid and they are unable to perform at the level they were performing at previously. Hitting your lid is completely normal and understandable. You might have been a great CEO when you started your business, and because you were such great leader, the business took off. At some point, it grew so big that you felt out of your element; the whole situation changed. You feel paralyzed trying to figure out the right move.

Allowing the Law of the Lid to take place in your business is difficult. On the one hand, you don’t want leaders who have reached their lid and stalled out. On the other hand, you want to allow your leaders the chance to break through their lid. The key is to learn to recognize the lid in yourself so you can understand if you are hitting it. You also want to understand the lid in key team players so they don’t keep hitting their lids too. When key people can’t break through, it may be time for the company to make a change and bring someone in with more capacity in that area. The employee who hit their lid should be placed in the area they are strongest in. Oftentimes, once a change like this is made, the business sees accelerated growth in profitability and performance.

Running a business means that you will likely hit numerous lids in completely different areas. The key is to take a step back and figure out what skillsets and capabilities you can use to get past the lid. If you can’t accelerate past it, recognize when it is time to step back. Don’t allow the Law of the Lid to run rampant in your organization, and you will continue to see success.

If you want to hear me talk about this further, listen to my video on the Law of the Lid: