A brief word from John Wilson – What makes a Great CEO?

At the beginning of June we were fortunate to have CEO John Wilson of CEO Global Networks join us for our Managing for Growth Seminar. John has coached hundreds of high-profile CEOs and entrepreneurs. He believes Great CEOs are not born- they are made. There are 7 “big factors” that determine whether or not they are great:

Emotional Intelligence. 

Great CEOs know themselves, which is important when leading others.

Inspiration.

Great CEOs are inspiring and encourage others to work to their full potential.

Toolkits.

Great leaders have effective toolkits. Feedback is an important part of this- few leaders have good feedback.

Excellent work-life balance. 

Can mean different things to different people, but a prerequisite if you want to be on top of your game.

An “A-Team”. 

You need top players around you, because the opportunity cost from hiring substandard employees can cost your business several times their salary.

A culture of accountability. 

This starts with the person at the top- you need to “walk the talk”. The CEO’s accountability rests with planning- few businesses are run without a strategic plan. Is yours one of them?

Connections. 

Great CEOs get connected to other CEOS, and they are connected to a mentor. You need to have a Mastermind group who check your back and give you honest feedback.

3 Things to take away

1- Work on yourself. The speed of the leader is the speed of the follower.

2- Deal with the Bs and Cs on your team. Most of the time, they can be coached into becoming As- unlock their potential. But sometimes, you need to get rid of them.

3- Get connected. Events hosted by HSS provide an excellent opportunity to do this!