Words for the CEO

Today I went to a seminar given by Ole Carlson. He wrote the book Beneath the Armor: How Business Leaders Stand Tall in a Turbulent Global Economy (http://www.influencemany.com). Today's session focused on the CEO’s role in leading their company. It was a group of close to 20 and he held our attention for the entire three hours.

I will not share the program here, but a point that really stuck with me is the growth or hindering power held by the owner/president/CEO. In a small to mid size business, this leader took an idea or vision and made it reality. They went from one employee, to five, to twenty, to eighty employees. They drove the growth through their energy, effort, and skills. But with the growth comes new obstacles and challenges and the question of, “How can we keep growing?”

The answer I heard today and that I have also seen in the businesses I have interviewed and worked with is this: The leader must change. The attributes and style that worked as a start up with 5 or 10 people will and does not work with a workforce of 80. The leader has to focus on leading, not doing. And this is a very hard idea for leaders to grasp.

“It’s worked so well for so long, why should I change?” Because you need to lead the doers.

This takes us to the people aspect. In his talk and book, Ole discusses seven strategies. I was glad to hear him say that the most important one was Strategy Five: It is All About the People.

I say this: A great doer can accomplish many things, but someone leading many great doers can accomplish infinitely more.