Kudos to you for having been elevated to the C-Suite role. You’ve been ready for this moment for a long time… or are you?
I know it’s an exciting time, but also one of uncertainty. You accept the challenge and pull out your playbook only to find you have to put on the breaks because it’s not as you expected. You’re smart and you’ll figure out what is different, but then I ask you; who do you talk to? Do you have a board of advisors? Do you have a coach? Do you have a trusted colleague within or outside the organization? Or do you have a “CEO Whisperer” just to talk through the challenges and opportunities? Do you just need someone to bounce ideas around, develop a strategy to ground you and the team or help you to see the landscape from a different perspective.
All of these questions and many more are what I call the “CEO Whisperer” framework to help you get started on the right foot or help you if you’re in the throws of chaos. I’ll lay it out for you so you understand what this means:
The “CEO Whisperer” Framework
- Self awareness – it starts with you knowing you need an external perspective
- Courage to ask for help – asking for help is a source of strength and gaining wisdom
- Strength inventory – be ready to qualify your gifts and how you will leverage them going forward
- Gap analysis – qualify what you think the gaps are in being able to navigate your challenges
- Open minded – be ready for an external view that may give you new insights you could not see or consider
- Contact your “CEO Whisperer” – pick up the phone right now and ask them for help and their insights.
The last step is the hardest because you know you need help, but don’t have the courage to ask for help. If you are ready to ask for help, do you know who to call?
I’ll give you a hint: Deb Coviello aka The Drop In CEO aka the “CEO Whisperer”!
Let’s have a short conversation.
Until then, I want to wish you well and much success!
-Deb