Written by: Hayden Orme, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As we all know, the title of “CEO” is an esteemed position. It’s a deeply rewarding role, and being a leader also comes with immense responsibility and pressure. It can be draining to be the person in charge, which is why it’s so important to embrace being an “Empowered CEO.” This is a mindset coupled with daily practices that invite balance and alignment to a leadership role. Since starting my entrepreneurial journey, I have had to truly work on and integrate these practices as part of my daily life.
“Being an empowered CEO is not a final destination, it's a daily practice.” – Hayden Orme
As a driven and passionate entrepreneur, it is far too easy to get swept up in the daily grind, trying to do it all. Especially as a CEO, you tend to get this idea that if you want something done right, you must do it, and do it with a sense of perfection and superhuman productivity. That’s the path towards the version of “success” we’ve stereotypically had modeled for us. As Brené Brown said, “Burnout is not a status symbol.” We are all human, after all, and even the most Empowered CEOs have ‘those’ days. However, if you let ‘those’ days take hold, they will pull you along the fastest road to burnout. I truly believe that you can have great success and not have to sacrifice your family life, values, joy, and mental health in order to get (and stay) where you want to be.
Stepping into and claiming your space and authority as an Empowered CEO is a way of conducting business that allows you as a leader to free yourself from the rat wheel of trying to do it all, striving for unattainable perfection, while running in circles, chaotic, stuck in chronic overwhelm. It gives you the permission to embrace help, delegate optimally, and let your team do their jobs while you have the time to do more of what you do best and more of what you love. This not only leads to your business growth but your holistic success. It also promotes inner reflection and rest and reintegrates the human element into a very demanding role.
Since developing this concept and embracing becoming an Empowered CEO, I have seen more personal and professional growth than ever. My business is growing and scaling consistently and intentionally; I am happier doing more of what I do best and have the balance between doing the things I love. My team is happy and dedicated to our mission, and we’ve developed a working culture that allows everyone to thrive within their respective zones of genius. This mindset and model really are something I have to work on daily, however, as it truly is a journey. It’s not a destination, it’s a daily practice.
When the journey feels especially challenging
This rang especially true for me the other day when I felt like my business was running me more than I was running it. Yes, even Empowered CEOs are human, and we all have ‘those’ days.
When the alarm goes off and your typical rise-and-shine outlook is absent, and it feels like you could hit “snooze” 50 more times and still not feel rested.
When you've somehow unexplainably over-committed yourself and your calendar is back-to-back, and you're certain that the internet gremlins have it in for you. On top of that, you feel frustrated with yourself for not delegating more (because you know better), and you end up working a 13-hour day.
When nothing is precisely “wrong,” it's just challenging because you're tired and just out of sorts. You're thinking about 1,008,489 things, you're on Zoom all day, and no matter how hard you try to multitask, your mind feels like it's having random bouts of spontaneous combustion, making you forget your train of thought at least 29 times.
Those days when you just feel downright OFF
Instead of feeling like you're at the helm of your ship, you maybe had a rogue wave crash over you and catch you off guard; you’re left soggy, drenched, and bruised, and it's too cloudy to dry off quickly due to an acute lack of sunshine.
These days are inevitably going to happen, even to an Empowered CEO. Empowerment, balance, and alignment don't mean perfection and it’s not about reaching a destination. As we know, a great Captain doesn’t just set sail to get from point A to point B. They love the job because they live to be out at sea. It’s the same with being a CEO. In business, there is rarely an “endpoint;” the magic lies in the journey, satisfaction, and joy you have running your company and working with your team.
However, when you’re deep in the trenches of your bad day, it can be hard to remember the steps you need to implement to climb out. As a recovering perfectionist, I have a proclivity for relapsing from time to time, making me forget about my Empowered CEO practices altogether. Thankfully, I have a truly amazing crew that holds me accountable and reminds me when I start to slide back into the trenches.
On that particular day, they reminded me that these kinds of days are not necessary and do not need to be happening anymore. There is absolutely no reason for me to be overbooked and overwhelmed in my business. Perhaps I even subconsciously created this reality because the connotation of “boss” lends itself to suffering in some way ‒ ring a bell for anyone? Sometimes, THOSE days happen because something inside us lets them happen; we have been conditioned to believe that SUCCESS EQUATES to BURNOUT AND SUFFERING.
Owning and running a business provides the opportunity for a lot more self-work than I thought it would. If you decide to embrace your holistic success, you can challenge and debunk the limiting beliefs that have held you back in the past because they are just that ‒ limiting! Sometimes, on days like these, they try to resurface with vigor, like whack-a-mole, but that’s exactly why I have my Empowered CEO practices in my arsenal.
A bad day doesn’t have to turn into a spiral
Upon remembering who I currently am, the evolved (albeit temporarily askew), Empowered CEO version of myself, I was able to really listen to and embrace my crew's advice. I asked for help in working in some extra “me” time into my schedule and immediately ensured that I re-triaged my upcoming days, leaning on my executive assistant to handle this for me.
I was reminded to take a breath, pivot, and to re-empower! After the laptop closed that night, I made time for myself; the exhaustion was real, but I set the intention to ground myself and realign before going to sleep. I got my diffuser fired up with some 'wicked' good essential oil/aromatherapy action. I lit some candles, opened all the windows, and breathed! I also made the conscious decision not to cancel an upcoming haircut that I was going to sacrifice for more time at work (now that was an Empowered CEO move). Then I stretched and meditated for 10 minutes before bed. Dolce far niente!
We all have ‘those’ days, but that one day doesn’t have to spiral you into detrimental, limiting mindsets and habits that set you back, burying you IN your business. You have the power to release those days and choose to come back to a place of balance and alignment. This can simply mean allowing your crew to support you, taking some time for intentional self-care, and accepting the fact that while you’re a leader and CEO, you are still human. Giving yourself grace can be the key tool needed to climb out of the trenches and return to your empowered self.
Once I realigned, I was reminded of how truly blessed I am to be the captain at the helm of a business that I love and about which I’m truly passionate. I want to make the intentional choice each day to show up for my business, and my life, from a place of greater abundance. My clients and crew deserve that version of me, and I am determined to build a successful company that fuels many fires (including my own) rather than burning them out. It’s a process, and it takes daily practice, but I truly believe that you can have great success and not have to sacrifice your family life, values, joy, and mental health in order to get (and stay) where you want to be.. So, let ‘those’ days just be a day and not a lifestyle.
Hayden Orme, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
For over a decade, prior to launching her own business (Handled. By Hayden & Co.), Hayden supported top executives and teams at companies such as Partners Healthcare, Brightcove, Inc., Novartis and McKesson. She most recently managed the office of the Chairman and CEO of McKesson (a Fortune 5 company at the time). Now as an entrepreneur herself, Hayden leverages her corporate experience and her unique “get it” factor. With her intuitive and pragmatic approach, she will guide you through detailed directions to orchestrate the growth you want to create for your brand and business.
Supplementing over 13 years in the corporate world, as a licensed 50-Ton Master Merchant Mariner, Hayden has captained yacht charters and delivered private sailboats. During her tenure managing and growing a Boston-based charter company, Hayden was awarded “The Top 10 Meeting Planners” by Women’s Business Boston and also featured in Boston Business Journal’s “On the Move” for Business Services. Hayden was recently added to the Brainz CREA Global Awards list for 2021.
Her dynamic professional history culminates in a very unique ability to anticipate needs, recalibrate for change, multi-task, manage multiple demands, strategize, envision and execute the best path forward with a keen intuition, a discerning eye, compassion, trust and reliability.
Hayden and her team of uniquely experienced consultants, executive assistants, project and digital marketing managers, and graphic designers collaboratively guide and support their clients, empowering the CEO within every entrepreneur. Working with Hayden is a unique experience. With her you know you’re not alone; you have a trusted confidant and guide to help you grow your business and step into your own CEO confidence factor.
Hayden is passionate about animals, dedicating time to volunteer with various animal rescue leagues wherever she has lived. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the non-profit Craniocervical Foundation, is an international speaker, an international bestselling author, and lives in New Hampshire.
