CEO Meetings & CEO time

When someone has a meeting with the CEO they show up don’t they?
       (distractions and postponements never come from the one invited to meet with the CEO)

Everyone shows up on time for CEO meetings don’t they?
      (actually they show up early.)

If you were meeting with the CEO you’d be prepared, too, right?.
      (In fact you’d probably have had laser-like focus in preparation.)

Do you know the CEO of the company you work for personally? Probably not. But you do know the CEO of the most important work situation – your career. You are the CEO of your career. I urge you to treat managing your career as the most important job you hold – and you do hold this position, no option, no interview, no walking away.

To support your newly recognized role as CEO you must have regular planning meetings.

I call it CEO Time – as in Chief Executive Officer meeting time.

You are the CEO of your career & life so you should have your own CEO meeting weekly. During that meeting with yourself be sure you’re doing the right things and prepare for the coming week. Schedule your CEO meeting and honor it as the most important meeting of the week.

          

Given that you are really busy, how do you know that you’re doing the right things for your career & life? Do you know precisely what you’re responsible to do? Do you consider work and outside work when you think of your responsibilities?

Even more poignantly, does anyone complain about how you spend your time? Does your spouse grumble about not seeing you? Do your kids protest about having a baby sitter again? Are you dissatisfied with an aspect of your life such as your health? If so, your focus or balance might need some adjustment.

This is a reality check – not to make anyone feel guilty. If it makes you uncomfortable, however, thank you for staying with me.

During your CEO time start with a list the things you are actually responsible for accomplishing – the big picture things. This is for your professional as well as personal life. A list of responsibilities would easily be 20-30 long and related to job and home. The list includes the things that show up on an annual job evaluation and family ‘serious discussions’ list. This list will be the touchstone to determining if you are doing the right things to achieve your personal success.

Some things you are involved with might be fun, educational, and valuable for building relationships but are not really the core of your priorities. Others support your progress in your career. Start with these lists and come back to the productivity café in the future for more CEO time activities and guidance.