The detection of dulling
I’ve written about the dulling effect of business a few times here before, but I am increasingly struck by how ubiquitous this state of play is amongst business leaders, and specifically CEOs. My hypothesis is that it is very difficult to build a successful business from this dulled state. The ideas are dampened, the optimism […]
The kind of CEO your business context requires you to be
I was doing some thinking this week about the different profiles of CEOs I serve. I realised that I need to position myself in relation to their specific context and not approach them like a homogeneous group. I concluded that there are three specific types of contexts that CEOs have to manage: Fixer: a need […]
The CEO’s Hero’s Journey (Part 5 of 5)
The traditional version of success is well understood: grow revenue, increase profit, scale the business, create enterprise value. In the initial coaching/chemistry conversation with my CEO clients, this territory is almost always front and centre at the inception of our engagement. They are all worthwhile pursuits. “I love profit” is a common refrain of mine, […]
The CEO’s Hero’s Journey (Part 4 of 5)
There are some CEOs who, at the point in the CEO journey described in the previous pieces, don’t immediately move to fix things. Not because they lack urgency, but because they sense that the moment might require something different. Instead of acting quickly, they pause to look a little more carefully at what’s going on […]
The CEO’s Hero’s Journey (Part 3 of 5)
What It Starts to Cost There’s a point where the pattern described in the previous pieces begins to have consequences. Not immediately, and not always in ways that are easy to attribute. On the surface, the business can still look healthy. Targets are being met, and the team is delivering. From the outside, very little […]
The CEO’s Heroes Journey (Part 2 of 5)
The move most CEOs make. There’s a fairly predictable pattern that follows the moment – the nagging disturbance – described in Part 1 that most CEOs (understandably) fall into. In the Hero’s Journey, the CEO senses that something isn’t quite right. Not broken, but not as clean or as energised as it once was. Instinctively, […]
The CEO’s Hero’s Journey (Part 1 of 5)
When CEOs first reach out, I often sense a light disturbance in them. Some CEOs move past this moment quickly – especially the entrepreneurially-minded CEO who prefers to focus on shiny new objects in the future as a way of preserving themselves. This can work for a while – until the signal returns again … […]
A story of Upstream business miracles
I had dinner with a client (and now friend) last night. Let’s call him Adrian, for the sake of this missive, to protect confidentiality. The conversation was rich and alive, jumping around quite a bit before settling into a rhythm that included reflection, stories, personal sharing, laughs, and moments of clarity. I left the restaurant […]
Questions CEOs and founders should ask periodically
CEOs and founders tend to become focused on the immediate and most urgent requirements of running their business. The answers to these questions will keep them grounded in reality and ensure they have a broader view of the big picture. 1. What could be the hammer blow to your business? This encourages leaders to check […]
The trickle down of the CEO
The quality of what you put on top determines the quality of what comes below it. And you – the CEO – determine most of the Upstream components of a business. In ways you probably don’t realise, and in quantums that you probably underestimate. Here’s why: your Upstream influences are largely unseeable (i.e. they can’t […]