By Bill Miller, The CEO Blind Spot Advisor
What am I missing?
That question connects my two books. It also sits at the heart of my work with CEOs.
This year marks the sixth anniversary of The Rookie CEO, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up! and the first anniversary of What Every CEO Must Know, 37 Secrets to Lead with Confidence and Power.
Writing them gave me a chance to examine the decisions, mistakes, and lessons I witnessed from inside the business. Some stories still make me shake my head.
But the point was never to tell an entertaining story.
I wanted readers to recognize a problem in someone else’s experience before it became their own.
Are you inside the story?
The problem is harder to see
Looking back, it seems obvious.
Why did the CEO ignore that warning? Why did that initiative continue? Why didn’t someone challenge the decision?
Inside the company, you make the call while events are still unfolding. You have incomplete information. People disagree. Customers need answers. Payroll does not wait for clarity.
I have worked through those situations as an executive. I have also challenged CEOs when they needed to hear something they were missing.
Those experiences shaped both books.
The Rookie CEO takes readers inside the stories of nine first-time CEOs I worked for or with, one after another. Their stories give aspiring and first-time CEOs a chance to ask: What would I have done? Would I have recognized the warning? Would I have spoken up?
What Every CEO Must Know builds on that work with 37 secrets and tools you can apply to your own decisions.
My goal is to move you from “That sounds familiar” to “Here is what I need to do.”
Turn recognition into action
When a story makes you uncomfortable, pause.
Ask yourself:
- What am I assuming that I have not verified?
- Who sees this situation differently, and have I listened?
- What evidence would make me change direction?
- What will I do if my decision does not work?
Bring these questions into your CEO Mirror Meeting™. Give yourself time to examine the decision, your own behavior, and the results.
That thinking also runs through my CEO Navigator System™:
See → Understand → Decide → Align → Execute → Learn → Repeat
An anniversary invitation
To celebrate both anniversaries, I am offering special eBook pricing from October 27 through December 5, my birthday. Consider it a birthday gift from me to you.
The Rookie CEO, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!: $0.99
What Every CEO Must Know, 37 Secrets to Lead with Confidence and Power: $2.99
Everyone who buys either book will also receive the new fourth edition of my 7 Tips for the Rookie CEO, free.
If you are stepping into the CEO role, working through a hard decision, or helping someone prepare to lead, start with the book that fits where you are.
And as you read, keep one question in front of you:
What am I missing in my own company?
P.S. Want a faster answer to that question? Take the free CEO Navigator Assessment™ at beelinebill.com/ceoassessment. Twenty questions, under 10 minutes, and I personally review your results.