5 Big Things To Know for Executive Success

5 Big Things I Learned As A Chief Executive

Over twelve years of serving as a chief executive I gained many insights-too many to mention here in one article. But there were five huge things that stand out even now, and I want to share them with YOU. Once I integrated these workplace truths, life as an executive got a lot easier.

1. Employees want and need to trust you.

Aside from receiving their paychecks, this is perhaps the number one thing that employees seek at work. Human beings crave security, and, while no real security exists on this earth, they come pretty close to finding it in a boss they trust. What makes staff trust their supervisor? They have to see you as someone with impeccable character and someone who's competent. It's the combination of the two attributes. You cannot demonstrate one and not the other. A skilled boss with poor character is a sham. A boss with good character and few leadership/management skills is not worthy of the position. Ever wonder why so many supervisors are floundering? The answer is simple: either they lack critical skills, operate from a weak character, or both. Bosses who possess the necessary skills AND golden character are not a dime a dozen. If you are a boss, do what it takes to clean up your act now. Otherwise, you run the risk of damaging your employees and/or losing your job.

2. You need to trust your staff.

Feeling like their boss doesn't trust them is one of the biggest complaints from employees in general. We aren't particularly talking about lack of trust around the handling of money. We're talking about not trusting staff to do their jobs well, make good decisions, meet deadlines, come up with viable ideas, handle projects effectively, and deal with snafus as they arise. If you're a boss who's breathing down your employees' necks day after day, stop and ask yourself what you and they gain from this behavior. In truth, nobody gains anything. Everybody loses. Staff feel smothered, nervous, and limited, and you drive yourself crazy. It's also a time waster for you as the supervisor who has more important things to do. Make sure you hire people you can trust in the first place, and then let them do their jobs. Periodically check in with them about progress related to tasks and projects, but basically give them room to breathe. When you allow them space, they'll perform to the max in most cases.

3. Manage your Board of Directors.

Managing a Board means teaching them their roles and responsibilities, mentoring them, guiding them to make smart decisions, showing them how to deal with internal conflict, praising their individual and collective accomplishments, helping them navigate processes, occasionally listening privately to their personal struggles, and pointing out the specific ways they contribute to the organization at large. Yes, the Board Chair as Board leader needs to do these things too. But YOU as the chief executive have to jump in and participate. By doing so you truly serve these people, and you seal your relationship with them. A chief executive's relationship with his or her Board is critical to your survival within the company as well as to your quality of life there. Keep this in mind: if you choose to sit on the sidelines and let the Board do exactly as they please on a regular basis with little input from you, be prepared for major problems.

4. Walk your talk.

People observe your actions more than they remember your words. People are watching your every move, even when you think they don't see. Preaching certain expectations to your staff and Board and then living a different set of standards yourself discredits you as a leader and manager. Don't ever fall into the delusional trap of thinking that they don't notice the big gap. They do. Every single day. Integrity involves demonstrating consistency between what you say and what you personally do. It's not enough to show folks the way; you have walk the way alongside of them. Most bosses fail to do this too much of the time, and then they wonder why they suffer lack of respect, covert hostility, lack of cooperation, and/or deliberate insubordination. This not rocket science. You've got be who you say you are. Set an example that people admire and want to mirror.

5. Admit your mistakes.

This is a tough one. Who likes to stand up in front of a group or go to someone privately and admit you erred? Probably no one enjoys this, and few people actually do it. To be a credible boss, though, you need to leap over that psychological hurdle and take the plunge. Practice doing it with small issues at first if necessary. Here's an example: Apologize to John for forwarding him the wrong contact person when he requested a resource from you on Tuesday. You can take care of this in an email, but walking into his office and facing him is better. It means more to John. And it earns you a deposit in your personal integrity bank. Another example: gather your team and tell them you erred in judgment last week when they had asked for your opinion pertaining to next steps on an important project. You can soften the sting a bit by explaining why you told them what you did at that time. Nonetheless, you need to let them know that YOU realize you made a mistake and that you're seeing some consequences now. You stand tall in employees' eyes when you consciously choose to own up to your off-the-mark judgment.

By Sylvia Hepler

Sylvia Hepler, Owner and President of Launching Lives, http://launchinglives.biz, is an executive and career coach/advisor based in South Central Pennsylvania. Her mission is to support executives as they get unstuck, reduce unnecessary suffering, and increase balance in their lives.
CONTACT: Sylvia@launchinglives.biz www.launchinglives.biz