All posts

The Dilemma of CEOs: Balancing Meetings and Reflection in a Fast-Paced Business World

Maximize team alignment with your company vision as CEO. Discover effective strategies for creating a content repository, conducting onboarding & refreshers, and using All-Hands meetings.
The Dilemma of CEOs: Balancing Meetings and Reflection in a Fast-Paced Business World
Copy link

As a CEO, your schedule is packed with endless meetings, leaving little room for personal work, thought, and reflection. Most of these meetings are internal, aimed at getting projects back on track, making decisions, and fostering focus. As your company grows, the workload only increases, and you find yourself drowning in decision-making tasks. But what if we told you that there is a solution to this problem, and it doesn't involve adding more meetings to your schedule?

What you need is a system that helps your team think, act, and decide in the same way you do. This is not about creating clones but rather giving your team access to what you have more than anyone else: context.

Context is key to effective decision-making, and it's why well-intentioned, smart, and capable team members sometimes lose focus or go off-track. They don't have the full picture of the business, and as the CEO, it's your job to provide that context.

To ensure your team is aligned with the vision, mission, values, and priorities of your company, it's important to create a content repository that staff can refer to at any time. This can be in the form of written articles, short videos, podcasts, or any other medium that works best for you.

During onboarding, new staff should receive a full origin story and an overview of the company's vision, mission, values, etc. Regular refreshers of this information, such as quarterly or monthly All-Hands meetings, can keep your team aligned and connected to the overall context of the business.

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) can also help connect current projects to the overall vision and mission, but they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have seen a 50/50 success rate with OKRs across the companies we work with.

As a CEO, you can impact each material project directly by adopting a barbell approach. Get involved at the start to align the project with the overall context of the business, and show up again at the end to determine if the goals have been achieved. Stay out of the messy middle.

A final word of caution: CEOs carry a big megaphone, and if you share musings about new, long-term possibilities that are not part of the company's current operations with your team, it will become their focus. Ensure your communication aligns with the overall vision, mission, values, and priorities of the company.

In conclusion, providing context and aligning your team with the company's vision, mission, values, and priorities is key to ensuring effective decision-making and avoiding the dilemma of balancing meetings and reflection. With the right system in place, you can free up time for personal work, thought, and reflection, and lead your company to success.

Founder to Freedom Weekly
Zero guru BS. Real founders, real exits, real strategies - delivered weekly.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Our blog

Founders' Playbook: Build, Scale, Exit

We've built and sold companies (and made plenty of mistakes along the way). Here's everything we wish we knew from day one.
Ultimate Business Brokers Guide: Maximize Value in Buying or Selling a Business
3 min read

Ultimate Business Brokers Guide: Maximize Value in Buying or Selling a Business

Discover how business brokers help buyers and sellers achieve the best value. Learn about their roles, fees, and benefits, plus tips to ensure a successful transaction.
Read post
Understanding Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE): A Guide for Small Business Owners
3 min read

Understanding Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE): A Guide for Small Business Owners

Discover the importance of Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) for small business valuation. Learn how to calculate SDE, improve your business's value, and make informed financial decisions with this comprehensive guide.
Read post
Unlocking True Business Value: The Role of Add-Backs in Maximizing Valuation
3 min read

Unlocking True Business Value: The Role of Add-Backs in Maximizing Valuation

Discover how add-backs can significantly impact small business valuations. Learn to identify, document, and justify financial adjustments to showcase true profitability and secure the highest sale price.
Read post
Quality of Earnings Reports: A Comprehensive Guide for Investors and Stakeholders
3 min read

Quality of Earnings Reports: A Comprehensive Guide for Investors and Stakeholders

Discover the importance of Quality of Earnings (QoE) reports in financial analysis and decision-making. Learn how these reports assess sustainability, uncover risks, and support informed investments in mergers, acquisitions, and beyond.
Read post

How can we help?

Need help or assistance? Our team is standing by to make sure you get the help you need. Whether you need to grow or exit your business, we're ready to help!