Recently I inquired of 19 high-performing leadership team members just exactly what they wanted from their CEO. I was curious to hear if leadership team members were content with their leader. Boy, was I wrong. To a person, each team member saw areas for significant CEO growth.
So, when you have a quiet minute, reflect on your CEO performance in light of the input from leadership teams like yours.
What Leadership Team Executives Want from Their CEOs
Do you know what your leadership team wants from you? Here are the top requests.
- Lead us – we seek direction that is clear and inspiring
- Develop a written plan 3-5 years out and include me in that planning; don’t keep us in the dark
- Be consistent; don’t play favorites
- Stay focused; don't get distracted by too many ideas or too many priorities
- Grow us – we’re hungry for ways to improve
- Meet with me regularly; I’ve got ideas to share
- Give me regular feedback – both positive & negative; I want to get better
- Trust me; when you get in my “swim lane, it feels like I’m not trusted and I hate it!
- Build a great team – make it my best team ever!
- Be intentional about the culture you want
- Get rid of the dead wood; it drives us crazy
- It’s not always about you; build a great team and let them run the company
In the work I do with leadership teams, I can tell immediately how well the CEO occupies his or her seat. Teams sparkle when they are “captained” well. Engaged, energetic, and optimistic teams are simply a reflection of you.
So, how are you doing? What would your leadership team say?
Next Steps
- Discover how to be a great boss—download a free chapter of How to Be a Great Boss
- Start solving company issues early and quickly! Download free EOS tools
- Check the strength of your company with the EOS Organizational Checkup
This post originally appeared on the Positive Traction blog on July 6, 2016.
