Cloning the CEO:
How to Do More with Less
As the CEO, are you capable of everything in your organization: The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker? More importantly, do you also execute all of those roles: Executive sales rep, chief consultant, line supervisor, human resources manager, etc? The CEO may be the founder and most capable person in the organization, but may also be trapped by one important aspect:
“I can do anything, but I can’t do everything.”
This plagues the CEOs of organizations with 25 or less personnel, have reasonable revenue of $10-15M or less, and a profit margin of $5-8M. The problem is that from all the extracurricular responsibilities, the CEO is normally worn on, worn down, and worn out, and has no real life outside of the business. How can small organizations with big potential, become bigger organizations that allows the CEO the time to think and execute strategically?
Cloning the CEO
Many CEOs have probably thought: “If I could just clone myself, we could get it all done”. Leadership development and cultivation are about creating better versions of you, in other people. This gives the CEO an opportunity to share responsibility for the vision and for the future with other trusted and capable leaders. Cultivation & delegation, authorization, synchronization, organization, and automation are five tools the CEOs can use to clone themselves, by answering who, what, when, where, how, and why questions.
The first question to ask is Why? Why does everyone report to the CEO, President, founder, or business owner?
1. Cultivation & delegation. Divide and Conquer. The ability to delegate responsibilities, while cultivating leadership abilities in others may be very possible. This may mean creating Director Positions such as for Operations and for Support, picking the right people, developing the positions, and cultivating the leaders. This will help remove many of the day-to-day functions from the CEO’s plate, but also hold others accountable.
The second question: Who has all the power? What things can only I, as the CEO, accomplish? What issues require a decision that only I can make?
2. Authorization. Establish reporting authorities. Delegation without authorization just creates limitations and frustrations. Unless it requires CEO attention, delegate the authority to help cultivate a Direct Report’s decision-making abilities. It may be easier to first determine what authorities you want to retain as the CEO: Final employee terminations, spending $ amounts, major new purchases of systems, capital improvements, etc.
Question three: When, where, and how does the organization plan? Who does it?
3. Synchronization. Establish and assign the planning and operational cycle duties. Identify timeframes and responsibilities for planning and operational cycles: Day-to-day operations, short, mid, and long-range planning and operational cycles. Who are the orchestrators and synchronizers of the cycles? When, where, and how does the planning occur? Establish a planning process.
Question four: How does the CEO manage him or herself?
4. Organization. Establish a Battle Rhythm. A battle rhythm is how you operate every day, week, and month. It includes every task that you conduct in a given time period, normally on a routine basis. Many would say that a battle rhythm is nothing more than a schedule or calendar. I state the differences like this:
A Battle Rhythm is: How You Roll. A Schedule is: What Rolls over You!
A Battle Rhythm allows everyone to know how the CEO manages him/herself, which helps the organization to plan accordingly.
Question five: What, where, and how can the organization best use automation?
5. Automation. Identify automation priorities. What can be automated in the organization, with minimal costs and disruptions? Voicemail? Email? Time and Attendance? Sharepoint? There are organizations in 2015 that do not use voicemail, have limited email, still use paper time cards that someone has to approve (CEO), and no real means to share files. Almost anything that can be automated, may allow a CEO to gain back time for strategic thinking.
Cloning the CEO will probably not happen, but cultivating executive leadership and responsibilities in others is definitely possible. The strategies of cultivation and delegation, authorization, synchronization, organization, and automation may help answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions. These tools can give the CEO back time, and may help organizations do more with less.
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How to Do More with Less
