The Importance of the CEO's Role in a Company and Its Impact on Team Focus

As a CEO, you hold the most important role in a company, and the biggest outcomes are often led start to finish by founders. This is not a coincidence, as your ability to scale as a CEO is directly related to your ultimate exit outcome. Not only do CEOs have the most important role, but they also have the loudest voice. Whatever you discuss as a CEO will instantly become a priority for your team.

On the one hand, this is a good thing as it creates focus. You can bring your team back to what matters most and remind them of the main goal when they are unable to see the bigger picture. However, the problem is that CEOs often switch context, and they may be thinking about the future while the team is still working in the present.

The CEO works on a different level, working on the business by assembling the right team, pointing them in the right direction, and giving them the resources they need to succeed. The team, on the other hand, works in the business, building products and selling them, as well as performing other supporting functions. If your team is too focused on the future, they may not achieve the current targets, making your desired future more of a dream and less of an inevitability.

So, what can you do to prevent loss of focus?

It is crucial to have future context, but it needs to be kept in perspective. Be clear about why you are sharing thoughts about the future, and when done, bring the team back to the present and reinforce the importance of executing current goals and targets as prerequisites for pursuing the future.

Additionally, think about what you share and what you keep private. Many startups and scale-ups have transparent cultures, which increases trust, engagement, and understanding. However, there is also a risk of distraction, which can negatively impact results. Speed of execution is crucial, especially if your company is VC-backed, as there are likely other competitors pursuing a similar vision. Speed matters, and focus improves speed. By focusing on execution excellence, you can improve speed and achieve success faster.

In conclusion, being able to connect the dots to the long-term strategy is important, but it is crucial to be careful about loss of focus. Be mindful of what you share with your team and ensure that they remain focused on the present while still having a clear understanding of the company's future vision.