When I boil down what I learned on my way to becoming a fabulous CEO, it comes down to these four things. You can start practicing them a bit each day.
- Know your friggin’ self. Take a cold, hard look in that mirror and know that all that “constructive feedback” you’ve gotten over the years is true. Now deal with it! Become more self-reflective and become a better version of yourself.
- Understand people. If you don’t have a clue what motivates or disappoints others or if empathy is not your strong suit, get some help. Leading is all about people. And if you discover that you just don’t care much about others, find a new profession.
- Connect to others in meaningful ways. If you are self-aware and understand people, then you can form relationships that matter. Those connections cause people to do amazing things.
- Share stories. Instead of asking, “What do you think about this idea?” ask, “Tell me about a time you experienced such and such.” And return the favor by sharing your stories. Hearing stories opens us up to caring for each other.
I wish I could tell you that there are three great books to read and you will have a lock on these habits. Sadly, you will need to make a huge investment in your own evolution. And, as we all know, evolution is a slow process. But those mutations are awesome. Not to mention that the people around you will be delighted with your growth.
