Become your own Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Approach yourself and your life as if you are your own CEO
So what?
Becoming your own CEO will allow you to have:
- Clear vision, mission and values;
- Influence and control over yourself, your life and finances;
- Policies and procedures to guide your thinking and actions;
- Appropriate balances over all important aspects of your life;
- Defined goals and dreams and ability to achieve them; and
- Organised approach to deal with opportunities and setbacks.
Downsize
Imagine this. You, as the CEO of your company, walk into the office at mid-morning and see your employees wasting time by performing unnecessary and/or unimportant tasks, twirling their thumbs or starring into the abyss. Imagine this for yourself. Are you wasting time, energy or money on unnecessary, unimportant person, place or things? Is there any excess that can be cut to make yourself and your money available for bigger and better things? Be brutal and crack the whips to downsize and reorganise your life by taking a look at what you are doing and things you are spending your preciously earned dollars.
Learning and development
You will realise that we are big on learning and developing. Having a growth mindset is at the forefront of what we do and what we try to instil in our kids. Regardless of how big or small your investment is on yourself, the outcome is always guaranteed. No matter what, you are a better person today compared to yesterday with growth mindset. As the CEO, you need to ensure that your employees (i.e. you) are learning and developing in order for your company (i.e. your life) to survive in this ever-changing, challenging world we live in. Take the time, effort and/or money to invest in yourself by allowing yourself to learn and develop. Such investment will bring forth opportunities for being a better partner, parent, child, employee or boss and, most importantly, the best of yourself.
Optimisation
Once you’ve downsized and reorganised and you’re investing in yourself, it’s time to optimise your processes including earning, spending and saving. Take a look at where you are earning, spending and saving your time, effort and money. Are they within your vision, mission and values? Are you excessively focused on certain aspects of your life and ignoring others that are just as important to you? Are you neglecting or foregoing learning and development opportunities that would spring forward your family situation, career and yourself? Regularly look for opportunities to optimise your life like a CEO.
My experience
I had always been an “oriented” person. Depending on where I was in life, I was school-oriented, sport-oriented and career-oriented. I set goals and visioned dreams. I put in policies and processes to achieve them. It wasn’t until we started a family that I saw the need to become life-oriented. By focusing on one or two aspects of my life, I was foregoing, ignoring and neglecting others. I became life-oriented by appointing myself as my own CEO. I saw my life, my family, with a whole new perspective and made me a better husband, father, employee, and, most importantly, the best version of what I can be.
What now?
- Put yourself in the driver seat by becoming your own CEO.
- Downsize, reorganise, learn, develop and optimise!