Articles—Issue 6, January 2006
Happy New Year! It's a great time to take some new, positive actions in your business.
Breathing Your Own Exhaust?
Running an organization can be a lonely job. Whether you are a CEO running a company or a manager of an isolated division, the pressure to perform and the realization that tens if not thousands of people rely on you can be a daunting (and rewarding) experience.
Even if you are fortunate enough to have put together a great team (and if you haven’t, why not?), you cannot share everything with them. If you are talented enough to be a collaborative leader, you still understand that your team members have a vested interest in certain positions and directions that you might pursue. As a leader, you need to sort through all of this; ergo the oft talked about lonely-at-the-top dilemma.
If you are fortunate enough to have a supportive and talented board of directors, they can sometimes serve as a good sounding board. If you are the major shareholder in your company, you may have the luxury of choosing your own board. While this can be an advantage, I often see that CEOs tend to find supportive people rather than ones who will challenge their ideas. Is your best friend really going to call bullhocky on an idea about which you are passionate...and wrong? As an owner, CEO or division manager, you often times need to look outside your organization for ideas, support and objectivity.
A friend recently ran into a situation where she was unsure of how to handle an issue with her board. She was wise enough to assemble a small group of people to hear her out and provide counsel. Because she had some talented acquaintances, they knew enough to ask questions rather than “show up and throw up” with advice. The direction she chose was not an easy one, but she was assured that she was using sound judgment.
I have another client who is able to look to his father—a retired executive—as a sounding board. Some consultants can provide this level of support. There are also several organizations like TEC or TAB that for a fee can provide on outside board of advisors. If your network is large enough you might be able to assemble your own board of advisors. Just make sure that they are attentive, objective, assertive and experienced.
Whatever method you use, there are people out there who have been through what you are going through, who can provide an objective point of view, and who can make the job a little less lonely. Breathing your own exhaust can make you dizzy and lead you to bad decisions.
(c)2006 by Tood Ordal. You are welcome to share this informational article with others.
Todd Ordal is a business consultant helping executives struggling with execution. Prior to founding the consulting firm Applied Strategy LLC, Todd spent over 25 years in management and executive roles such as President and CEO. You can contact Todd at todd@appliedstrategy.info