Written by: Jodi-Kay Edwards, 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.
Being a CEO often involves juggling various responsibilities at any given time. Being someone with multiple businesses and multiple responsibilities for myself and clients, overwhelm just isn’t an option. For lack of a better word, the show must go on or one of my businesses and all that’s been invested in it risks the chance of well, let’s not go there but you catch my drift. Finding balance can be tricky but there are three core tasks top CEOs focus on for profit.
These include: setting the overall direction of the company by effectively communicating the strategy & vision, hiring & managing a team to implement the vision, and to keep the company profitable by setting benchmarks for execution.
My 13 years of experience of working with CEOs & C-Suite executives has shown me that these three tasks are consistently essential, despite changes in technology or the economy.
Key CEO Roles and Responsibilities: Setting the Direction, Managing People and Ensuring Execution.
The role of a CEO is to have a thorough understanding of the essential responsibilities that come with it.
First, a CEO must set the overall direction for the company. This requires strategic planning and effective decision-making. Putting the right people in the right places is one thing but I’ve noticed it’s extremely important to allocate the right resources as well so those people can thrive. Which flows into the next task.
Second, a CEO must hire, manage and motivate, even if that includes assisting one person or department to take charge of all three. Part of setting expectations is providing direction, and holding team members and employees accountable for their actions. It also requires letting go of employees who no longer align with the company's values, vision and goals.
Finally, a CEO must ensure that all operations run smoothly to ensure profitability. Nothing drains a company faster than a dysfunctional team. While some investments make great tax write-offs it’s important to remember that people are people, not just assets and a janky operation can affect team morale which can affect the company’s bottom line.
Leading with a Clear Vision: The Importance of Effective Communication
Having the best strategy and vision in the world is only helpful if it is communicated correctly, allowing your team to execute it.
To effectively communicate strategy and vision, a CEO should create a “brand positioning statement”, a concise statement that provides clarity, strategy and direction for the brand. It can help both employees and customers understand the big picture in a quick and concise way.
Building and Leading a Strong Team: The Importance of People Management
According to Michael Watkins, author of "The First 90 Days”, in which he shared Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, people management is one of the most important tasks for a CEO. Inadequate people management can result in missed goals or lost revenue.
It helps to establish accountability through regular check-ins, performance reviews and evaluations. Trust and respect are earned by creating an environment where employees feel valued and empowered to do their best work.
Ensuring Successful Execution: The Importance of Monitoring Progress and Achieving Goals
What is a CEO's job in a company? That’s what we’ve been talking about, you still with me? This can all boil down to how well the company is executing its plan effectively. It is crucial to understand what progress looks like, how much progress has been made, and the team's current standing about their goals.
To effectively execute the plan, top CEOs set measurable goals for themselves and their team members. Tasks are then prioritized based on importance within the organization's mission and vision. This can be done by sharing a vision for the timeline of events in which things should take place, refer back to task number one.
Prioritizing Between Key Roles & Responsibilities as a CEO
By creating a detailed to-do list and sorting tasks by importance, urgency, and potential impact on company goals, a CEO can effectively manage and focus on the most pressing matters. This is how I successfully run two businesses while managing my clients.
Prioritization can include, for example, ensuring that while multiple projects have been started, each team has a clear understanding of what needs to be executed. In this case the responsibility is to touch base across all departments and prioritize that first step across the board. Once all teams understand how to move forward the next priority is execution.
I use this batch task approach to leadership so I can stay on top of my responsibilities so my clients and team aren’t affected by a never ending to-do list. Project management software like Click Up aids in keeping track of all responsibilities and can highlight those requiring immediate attention in rotation.
Becoming an Effective CEO: Tips for Improving Leadership Skills
To be a better leader, the following is true, communicate effectively, follow up on your plans, and prioritize. However, make time to reevaluate and communicate with yourself often. Strong communication skills are essential for CEOs to ensure that everyone understands and buys into the vision, but they are also essential to ensure you understand the role.
Following up on plans increases the chances of success. Prioritize CEO tasks for better execution and progress monitoring. Remember to focus on what needs to be done today or this week starting with tasks that may be overdue.
The Bottom Line
As a CEO it's important to recognize that the core duties of a CEO consist of communicating, managing, and executing. These tasks may seem overwhelming at times, but it's important to remember that improvement in any of these areas can significantly impact the business's success.
One key strategy to remember is prioritizing and focusing on batching or grouping a set of tasks at a time rather than trying to tackle everything all at once. With dedication and effort, any leader can improve in these areas and drive their organization to success.
Jodi-Kay Edwards, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jodi-Kay Edwards is the founder & CEO of Alignment Is The New Hustle and co-founder of Behind The Scenes Agency, a Dallas-based Media and Marketing company. Her coaching framework has helped hundreds of visionaries create a global impact worldwide. Her goal is to help CEOs and creatives get seen and get paid in a way that increases their impact and income.
