As an executive, it is important that you have the right picture of your business and know when things are not going as planned. No matter how great the strategy was, if you can’t be successful with your execution, something got to change. And while you might be tempted to change everything in the business, the biggest change starts with just one person: you.
First step: get real
Are you still a hopeless optimistic? How much do you understand the problems and challenges that the company has? The biggest wake up call you can have is to get real. While the transition from being an optimistic to become a realist can be quite painful – it’s a must have in the evolution of any executive. One of the challenges here is that most people perceive being real with being pessimist or negative. But if you are on cloud 9 and are completely ignoring the facts, it’s obvious that any realist will sound pessimistic. Getting real is actually about looking at facts, listening to what the others have to say, take some time to reflect and make your own conclusions. If you are usually dismissing the feedback of others in a second, you are not listening. If you are constantly providing explanations when faced with facts, reality is not sinking in.
Second step: think
Any executive needs a little bit of time to think and reflect about things. You can’t always be on the go with a thousand things to do. If the CEO is never taking the time to reflect, who will? That’s the basic fundamental behind having a business coach, mentor or advisor; it’s to help you think. Without reflection, you are just reacting to events. While this might make you feel like you are doing something, this is not sustainable in the long run. Everybody needs some down time – take this opportunity to relax and think about the real issues you need to fix.
Third step: look deep inside of you
“Are you doing everything you can?” and “What more can I do?” are often questions you may ask yourself. Try a different route. What could you do differently? Are there specific aspects that you could take a different approach? Solutions are more often within what you could do differently, better or smarter. Challenge yourself, look deep inside of you and try to find any behaviors that you have that could benefit to change or improve. Try to find solutions that will make you a better person, a better manager, a better leader. Find a channel that will help you: coaching, mentor, read books and even attend leadership seminars.
Fourth step: re-invent yourself
This does not mean that you need to completely change your personality. But everybody can re-invent himself or herself in certain areas. The bigger the changes you make, the greater the impact on the business. As a leader, it is your responsibility to re-invent yourself in moments of crisis, try new things and challenge status quo. If you don’t, the business will go down or you will get replaced upon failure. I have to say that I have been thru this process a few times already and I have to say each time has proven to be a major boost on myself and have been amazed on the impact that this had around me. Don’t be afraid of change as you will become a better person and will make your business successful.
