#119 The new CEOs
Happy Sunday, everyone.
In early April we hired a CEO for the company Calm Capital acquired in March. Last week we announced a new CEO at LOFT and promoted Allison Amos to CEO at Honestly. For both companies, it’s the first time they’ve had CEOs that weren’t founders.
Being around them, I’m learning so much about setting expectations and managing priorities.
The key to both is listening.
When setting expectations for leaders, I’ve found it’s imperative to listen to myself and make sure I’m not putting unrealistic expectations the leader. A coach of mine, Jared, taught me to treat expectations like guarantees in order to manage them effectively.
When people step into the role, there’s always more “to dos” than there is time. Managing priorities requires listening to the leader in order to help them identify what actions will get the best next result.
Finally, listening more has enabled me to get out of the operator role and into a serving role.
Three Things to Ponder
- Make your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding. Proverb
- “Pain is knowledge rushing in to fill a void” - Jerry Seinfeld
- “Consistency is, it turns out, pointless without adaptation.” David Nemetz
Three Things to Enjoy
- Kevin Kelly’s annual post of unsolicited advice is always one my favorites:
- Jared Tendler is a friend and brilliant performance coach. While the topic is golf, the principles discussed in this interview apply to anything you pursue.
- Fun Burger King spot from David-Miami
Until next time, friends.
-David