Every person charged with running
an organsiation carries an enormous task on half of the key stakeholders.
Others take this role as a way to enrich themselves personally while others
take this role as an opportunity to do well for the benefit of society. At the
core of leading an organsiation are the people. Without a strategy of leading
the people that work for you regardless of the size of your organisation any
success you may enjoy is likely to be short-lived. Here are the issues that every CEO must
reflect on:
- Hire
the best people available
– regardless of the pressure from anyone, the best favour you can do for
yourself, as a CEO is to hire the best people. Talent is what formulate and
drive sustainable strategy. Any company short of quality thinking will
struggle. “If you want Singapore to succeed…you must have a system that enables
the best man and the most suitable to go into the job that needs them…” This
what Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew said. He was right;
countries that recruit and select people on merit to fill in public service
positions tend to do well economically.
The same principles apply to private organizations. Get the best people
for the job and never compromise on who joins the organsiation. - Pay
people differently
– Pay your top performers far much more than your average performer. Do not
underpay your top performers in the name of equity or some policy. Good
performers give more when there is a big difference between them and average
performers. Every benefit an employee gets must be a reflection of their value,
nothing else. - Empower
your top team –
If you have good people in your executive team things move. Empower them to
make decisions within policy and only consult you on big issues that require
CEO or Board approval. The challenge in practice is that most of the people who
have the title “executive” have no decision making power. Such an arrangement
retards progress. Good CEOs share power
with their executive team. However, this should only be done when the executive
team is competent. - Humility
– Be kind and
tough on results. There is no need to harass your team including other levels
of employees. You can be extremely tough on results with a very kind heart.
Remember the exit from the CEO role is not always smooth. You will need your
subordinates for support one day. - Performance
is everything –
Cultivate a high-performance culture throughout the organisation. Be tough on
performance targets. Remember all targets must be agreed between the managers
and those they manage. Do not allow a situation where targets are dictated no
matter how powerful you. - Know
– When its time up
- You must decide when you want to exit the organsiation at the beginning of
your tenure. Do not wait to be pushed. Even when performance is good, it is
better to leave at the height of good performance. Do not be persuaded to stay.
- Succession
Plan – Have a
succession plan in place. Identify at least 3 to 4 people who can take over
from you. Prepare all the candidates for the role. When the time comes, the job
must go to the best person among your chosen successors. - Leave
a good legacy-
what are the people going to remember you for? Is it going to be performance or
greedy and plunder of company resources? CEO roles wield so much power. Some
incumbents are tempted to abuse this power for personal gain. Always make a
distinction between company resources and your own. Never take more than what
is provided for in your employment contract. It will catch up with you and
normally it does not end well. - Build
a sustainable Culture
– If you build a good culture, half your job is done. Culture is the engine of
sustainable company performance. Invest
time and resources in building the right culture for your organisation.
This list is not exhausted, but I
see these as the major issues CEO must deal with in order to build successful
organisations.
Memory Nguwi is an Occupational
Psychologist, Data Scientist, Speaker, & Managing Consultant- Industrial
Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd a management and human resources consulting
firm. https://www.linkedin.com/in/memorynguwi/ Phone +263 4
481946-48/481950/2900276/2900966 or cell number +263 77 2356 361 or email: mnguwi@ipcconsultants.com or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com