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I’m going to be honest with you and admit that from time to time I get sucked into a TV marathon. Don’t worry; I do try to learn something so it’s not a complete waste of time! Recently this happened with several episodes of Undercover Boss. By the second episode I noticed a few patterns. A few more episodes and the messages became clear. No matter what size the company, the CEO faced similar revelations. You’re an entrepreneur as you pursue your creative endeavors. With everything you do as you pursue your goals, it’s easy to get busy with the day-to-day and forget that you are the CEO of your art and your life. As you read the tips below, think about how the CEO version of you is treating the worker bee version of you. 1. Appreciation Countless employees expressed that while they liked or even loved their jobs, they did not feel appreciated. And as you might imagine, being in that environment for eight hours a day was making a truly negative impact on their lives. Are you appreciating or ignoring everything your creative self does for you? Some - ahem Don Draper - may say, “Your paycheck is the thank you!” However, I hope you’ll agree that while that may be true, as a thoughtful and kind CEO of yourself, you’ll reach higher levels of satisfaction and fulfillment if you show yourself appreciation and acknowledge all the work you do each day. 2. Feedback Believe it or not, several companies did not have a system in place for collecting feedback from their employees. In an interview with a manager for a national fast food chain that was on the show, the manager said the national marketing team removed an item from their menu that was a best seller, and with no notice. It just wasn’t popular in the Northern region where the headquarters was located. They didn’t listen when she tried to get it back on the menu. Where are you letting important feedback slip through the cracks? Be open to surprising sources and pay attention to everything. Do you get a headache when you face a certain task you’ve been meaning to delegate? Did a collaborator make a suggestion, but you didn’t consider it because you were too stuck on your original plan? 3. Opportunities and Innovation People at different levels of a business see things differently. Many of the CEO’s realized that what they thought about their business from the bird’s eye view did not match what was happening on the ground. Many employees had great ideas and could see opportunities where others just weren’t looking. As you move through your day, you will have moments of inspiration and ideas for all of your projects. It’s important to collect these and write them down so you don’t forget. Schedule time once or twice a month to review your collection of ideas and make ‘big picture’ plans for your body of work. It will become easy and fun to decide on your next move as you build a lasting creative legacy. Certainly much more fun than staring at a blank page as you try to come up with new ideas. Tell me below- does your inner CEO have some changes to make? Are you looking for more accountability and a clear plan to more forward? Apply for coaching here. What would you love to create? xo Chrissy
9 Comments
Some really good points to think about, we are the CEO of our own life and business now and how we treat the worker bee version of us. I have worked in companies where the paycheck was the only thank you, I worked in a company where feedback was welcomed, but only positive feedback! And I have worked in companies where decisions have been made top down without these top managers knowing what was happening on the ground. I remember how bad all three situations felt, so thank you for the reminder that now I am the CEO version of me and I need to appreciate, acknowledge and listen to the worker bee version of me :-)
Maggie
8/27/2015 02:46:50 am
Isn't it amazing how we can see so clearly how we'd revise a structure at work, yet when we're really the ones in charge, we get lost in the day-to-day details of running a business? It's so easy for me to be critical of myself and focus on what I don't get done instead of recognizing my own progress and appreciating what I AM doing. Thanks for this reminder! Great post with some powerful things to think about. I love that idea of that we are the CEO of our lives. So true. And the CEO in me has definitely been very hard on the worker bee version of me. More appreciation and celebration needed for the milestones I have reached! I love this creative play on "Undercover Boss" for ourselves, the entrepreneurs! What an excellent way to reframe the cranky discontent I've been feeling today! Great idea to manage my own responses as "feedback" and also to start an idea book to refer to in the next creative development phase. Great blog! What an awesome comparison. I've seen the show and you are spot on. My CEO tends to be very impatient and needs to take a few deep breaths and realize things take time! I also have a problem with having SO many ideas and not wanting to let any of them go. As my husband says- too many irons in the fire!
Holli
9/6/2015 06:00:41 pm
Great points! I never thought about the fact that I'm the CEO of my own life. I'm going to have to think on that; I think there are a few things I could work on improving! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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