There will be many people at the start of their careers who, when asked about their future professional goals, may say: I want to be a CEO.
Being a chief executive officer for a whole corporation is a desirable goal for plenty of workers because it defines the ultimate success within a sector, or the numerous benefits of those long workdays they are expecting to put in to achieve their professional dreams.
Yet as the saying goes: with great power comes great responsibility. That means a CEO is responsible not only for top managerial decisions but, if things don’t quite go to plan, what also happens to those working within the rest of the company.
So, to assure the success and future trading of your company, you’ll want to be the best CEO that you can. These are some of the tasks and items you should consider carrying out – whether you are a CEO already, or that’s the position that you aspire to fill one day.
Set the correct goals
A CEO will always be setting and measuring goals. Your goals shouldn’t stagnate and cause you to get stress if you’re not making progress and, if this happens, it may be because they weren’t set with the correct guidelines in mind. So, your goal should be actionable, supported, obtainable, and life-orientated – whether that’s professional or personal.
Be mission-driven
A clear vision will be essential to your brand’s success. However, you will need to ensure that your team agrees with your mission and that it meets with their own goals.
This means that you should define why an action should be carried out and see that each employee has their own purpose defined. Remember: an employee’s performance will stall and drag down if they aren’t invested in the company’s direction.
Communicate clearly
If your team is in the dark, then they may go against you. Your employees will get stressed if they feel they are out of the loop – or even out of control. This can then lead to them worrying about job security, plus a lack of productivity.
So, as a CEO, you should clearly communicate any changes, news, and ideas that your staff can have access to. You should also make sure they have a way to communicate back with you.
Expand your expertise
You will need to understand how all areas of your organisation interact with each other as a CEO – so you’ll benefit if you get knowledge in more than one functional area.
Many brands will look for chief executives with experience at an international level, too, so understanding how cultural differences can affect functions will be vital if you want to lead a large company.
Be a graduate
There are plenty of CEOs who have an MBA. That’s because pursuing higher-level studies can help you to develop in-depth skills – as well as expanding your connections within your network.
You can elect to go for a graduate programme straight after you’ve finished your undergraduate studies. Yet, many aspiring leaders decide to get some real-world experience before taking this step.
It’s generally regarded that the best way you can prepare to be a CEO is to get an MBA, so have a look at what programmes can offer you – such as practical training in organisational behaviour and leadership, for instance, and its alumni network.
Prioritise your company culture and values
These will always be important items for you. Culture is the invisible factor that influences how your team behaves, as well as how they make decisions when there’s no one else watching. It also affects your brand’s ability to not only attract great talent but also to keep them.
So, your culture will either limit or leverage your capacity to produce great results – meaning you should invest some of your attention to help create and cultivate the culture that you want to have.
Don’t get involved in minor things
Once you’ve worked out what items matter the most to your organisation, you should ask yourself if you’re consistently investing your best attention and time on those major items. You should make an adjustment if you aren’t.
Build up your leadership team
This is perhaps your most important job as a CEO. You will need to ask yourself questions such as who you already have on your team and who you may eventually need on it. See if there are any obvious holes, as well as think about if there are any people, you’re likely to upgrade at some point.