Hard To See It From The Inside
One of the best advantages I have in being an “outside” advisor is…(obviously) I’m not on the inside. I can be fluent in the industry, have command of the project or job at hand, but still I am not inside looking out -- which is where a CEO (or any leader) must be.
There’s an advantage to being on the inside of anything, of course, because “insiders” are the most invested, most excited, and most competent (usually!) in getting the job done. They functionally know the most there is to know.
But where vulnerability creeps in is when pressure hits from the confluence of a major decision, timelines, multiple opportunities, employee issues and the day-to-day administration of a dynamic organization.
I recently audited the schedule of a CEO I work with. As I sat in her office and reviewed her calendar, her many regular meetings stood out to me. Some were unnecessarily long, but the biggest thing occupying her time was the weekly (some bi-weekly) one-on-one’s she was doing with her direct reports. In preparation for each, she drafted a thorough, thoughtful agenda. This took valuable headspace - to say nothing of time - from her already dense schedule.
I suggested that she reverse course and have her team leads be responsible for those agendas and running those meetings. This is good for them, for the obvious reasons that it forces them to prepare and prioritize when they see her.
But importantly, this change gave her time and space to have perspective. This perspective, in turn, allows her to act as a true visionary and leader.
Getting time back is essential for most high performing leaders. For those who get more done in 15 minutes than most can do in an hour - minutes back in a day are meaningful. She could put that reclaimed time toward new projects, a culture-building/ bonding activity, her own self-care (often deficient in leadership positions), or any myriad of issues that come up when managing a large, dispersed organization. The “space” is also a critical element to success and having that space allows for the growth opportunities to thrive. (I will write more about the importance of space soon.)
Her team immediately noticed the change in her ability to see things. The change also transferred responsibility and some agency to her team leads who now felt empowered to communicate the issues that were going to make them most successful.
But it’s always hard to read the label from inside the bottle, which is where any of us sit as the central characters of our own dramas. But the right counsel, at the right time, can be the difference between staying on course - or gradual erosion of critical perspective.
If this tracks for you, identify someone outside the organization who is agile, responsive, and steeped in the kind of business you’re building. If I can help, shoot me a note. These challenges excite me (which is probably why a client made me a t-shirt with the words “Bat Phone” on it!)
I'm here if you need me. Put up the Bat Signal and I’ll be there.
BG
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