The No.1 most important character trait of top-performing CEOs
Hint: it’s a bit like the tortoise and the hare…
Things to Know
One of my mentors is Siimon Reynolds, author of the book “Win Fast”. The book has loads of strategies, tactics to improve your personal and business performance quickly. I recommend it.
I have outlined two of the strategies from Siimon’s book below, plus some action steps from it. Some great lessons here:
- ‘Sense of Urgency’ – the No. 1 Most Important Character Trait
of Top-Performing CEOs - The Bezos Decision-making system
‘Sense of Urgency’ – the No. 1 Most Important Character Trait of Top-Performing CEOs
Professor John Kotter of Harvard University studied America’s top performing CEOs based on their company’s share price over a 10-year period. He then interviewed the CEOs and those that worked closely to them.
The researchers found that there was a single characteristic that they all shared – indeed, Professor Kotter concluded that if a CEO did not have this trait, their chances of reaching the top in business were exceedingly slim.
So, what is this most important character trait?
Kotter calls it ‘a sense of urgency’. “The top performers review quickly, decide quickly and then act quickly. They work at speeds that are far faster than ordinary people – and so they garner extraordinary results.
They push others to act quickly too. They don’t put up with long delays from the people they work with.”
They are constantly cajoling their staff and suppliers to get things done rapidly”.
Use the Bezos Decision-making system
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, categorizes decisions in two ways:
Type 1 decisions: are not easily reversible, so you must consider them extremely carefully and with great depth before you make them.
Type 2 Decisions: are reversible: if you realise you’ve made a mistake you can get out of them relatively easily. Therefore, they should be made relatively quickly.
Do you rush typical Type 1 decisions, acting without having fully considered every aspect of the situation?
And almost as bad… do you take ages to decide which way to go on Type 2 decisions, when these are issues that could easily be reversed?
Action Steps:
- Make a quick summary of any upcoming issues you need to decide on. Categorize them as Type 1 or Type 2 and act accordingly.
- For one whole week, make urgency your primary goal.
- Look to cut time spent on tasks, emails and meetings.
- Demand urgency from those who work with you and for you.
- Look back on your last few recent decisions.
- Should any of them be reversed?
In the meantime, if you’re serious about 10X your business value, get started by scheduling a free strategy session.
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And we’ll even share a few secrets you can use to 10X your business value.
This is a completely free, no-obligation strategy session.
Book a session here. Or, feel free to email us at jonathan@scaleupgrowth.co or call +61 (0) 408 748 980.
I hope you have enjoyed these insights. Have a great week and stay growth-focused!
Best Wishes,
Jonathan