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Written by our CEO, Peter Rabey.

Serving as a CEO can be all-consuming and certainly at points, an isolated position. I have had the opportunity to learn from hundreds of CEOs at different events, in books and on podcasts, and one of the biggest takeaways is that each person will be doing a slightly different version of the role depending on the organisation they are running.

From setting the strategy, aligning the leadership team, shaping the culture, communicating the vision, to running the monthly board meetings and being responsible for the overall performance of the business, the role of a CEO doesn’t come without pressure to get everything right.

One of my opening lines on The Leadership Learns podcast is “When we open up about our own experiences, we give others permission to do the same.” Learning from other CEOs’ challenges and how they learnt from failures has been just as impactful as knowing the strategies and methodologies that worked.

My top 3 picks this week from the podcast are from David Gandy, Founder of David Gandy Wellwear, Best-selling author David Burkus, and Janosch Amstutz, Founder and Chief Executive of Beem.

Risk taking – David Gandy

Being CEO of a company often means getting comfortable with making tough decisions.

Almost everything can be a risk if you make it one. Deciding when to hire, introducing new technology systems, or even moving offices all have the potential to be the wrong decision. It’s important to make informed risks, not reckless ones. Back your risks by research, data, trends, and demand, and trust your gut feeling about the industry.

Give your team confidence to take risks too.

When you’re growing your team, you’ll be hiring to fill gaps where your personal strengths may fall short. If you’re hiring a social media manager then social media is their field and specialty, but it may not be yours. Not only is it important for employees to trust you, but it’s equally as important for you to trust them.

Building employee’s trust - David Burkus

As a CEO, you need your employees to trust you. To create a workplace where employees enjoy their job and innovation isn’t restrained, trust should be a priority.

Set clear expectations, but let your employees know you trust them. Empower employees to share ideas, express opinions, and offer solutions. Create a team where people can be their authentic selves and you’ll hear new ideas you haven’t even thought of.

As a leader, you’re often a role model too, so lead by example.

Communication the vision - Janosch Amstutz

Your company’s vision is one of the main motivating factors for your team.

Your vision defines your company’s goals and ambitions and should be ingrained into your organisation’s culture and environment.

Vision can establish a benchmark, provide direction to where the organization wants to be in X number of years. The purpose of setting such a vison is twofold: to create a long-term strategy for where the company is going and secondly, to align everyone around the company’s direction.

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