Many CEOs get caught up in the day-to-day operations of their business without taking a step back to access the bigger vision and the strategy to make that vision a reality. This seems to be especially true for those who founded or bootstrapped their company, where they’ve been involved in the smallest details since day one.
However, it’s important for CEOs to focus on the impact that only they can make as leaders of their businesses. The first steps, it turns out, often focus on people: building a team you trust, setting boundaries for yourself, learning from other thought leaders and more.
As the CEO of my consulting business, I try to break out of traditional protocol to help my clients cultivate authentic relationships in and out of business. This entails making a shift in mindset. To help other leaders accomplish this, I turned to the members of Forbes Business Council Women Executives, an online community I lead, to share their tips on getting out of autopilot mode.
1. Discern what is high impact and high value.
Making the shift to a CEO mindset requires going from a mode of generic or generalized activity to a high-impact and high-value-driven decision-making mode. Ask yourself: As an investor, what would I prioritize? It should be in high-impact areas such as assessing vision and strategy execution, profiling revenue streams and brand value along with strategic partnerships (including maintaining a top management and board-level team). – Udo Okonjo, Ignite Africa/ ACE BUSINESS CLUB
2. Learn from the best.
Research and interview successful CEOs. List the things you believe CEOs should be doing. List the things you do that aren’t on that list. Hire others you trust to take on that list of tasks and activities. It will take time to develop team members so you can trust them. Track how much time you spend on the CEO activities. You’ll start looking for time to do them and less on other tasks. – Andrea Fredrickson, Revela
3. Prioritize strategy, fundraising, culture and relationships.
Reframe your work as four main things: strategy, fundraising, culture and relationships. Then, at the end of each day, assess how you advanced those four things and how well you did in delegating everything else. – Subomi Plumptre, Volition Cap
4. Identify your role as a CEO.
Your role is to work on the business, not in the business. You need to focus on the big picture and create a vision for your company. Plan strategically and delegate tasks swiftly. Developing leadership skills is what assists in this transition. – Sharmylla Siew, Lending Valley Inc.
5. Build your confidence.
You need a sense of confidence before the full “CEO mindset” transition can occur. This is easiest to deal with when there is self-belief. You can best prepare yourself by setting the intention and going on the growth journey that will enable you to upgrade to the best version of yourself and walk into that role as if it’s the right next step! – Karen Mc Dermott, Serenity Press Pty Ltd
6. Act like the type of CEO you want to be.
Start changing your mindset by changing your behavior! You need to realize that your time and energy are your organization’s most valuable assets. Don’t waste either on things that don’t move your strategic vision forward. – Catherine Wehlburg, Athens State University
7. Empower your team.
Empowering others to shine is the best gift you can give your team. Let them use your company’s designated purpose to guide their decisions, and believe in their genius to achieve it. Shift your attention from being a traditional CEO to becoming a Chief Energy Officer to create inspiration, hope and experiences that allow your team to dream more, learn more and become more than they ever imagined. – Andreea Vanacker, SPARKX5
8. Identify what can be outsourced.
It’s important to identify what has to be done by you when it comes to running the business and what can be outsourced or delegated. Also, make it a point to hire people who can do what you can’t do better yourself so it makes things easier to delegate in terms of efficiency and productivity. – Hani Anis, Kahani Digital Marketing
9. Be intentional.
Shifting from the worker to the director in your company means an intentional shift from spending your time “doing” to creating space to set the vision, assess your strategic direction, identify the right resources, and manage the desired outcomes for your company’s success. Holding both positions is not only exhausting but also limits you from expanding your market reach and resonance. – Loubna Noureddin, Mind Market Consultants
10. Build a team you trust.
To find time to work on the business, you need the cash flow and the ability to trust others to operate. Trust is the operative word. You have several choices: Find a partner you trust (which is complicated), find someone who can do the job as well as you (which is expensive), and/or put standards and structure in place so that your customers are taken care of. This ensures customer satisfaction while reducing the risk of micromanagement. – Karrie Sullivan, Culminate Strategy Group
11. Recognize that you don’t know or have to do everything.
Look to bring on or train staff to do those things you need to let go of to allow you to focus on business strategy and growth. I’ve met some women business owners who think they have to show their employees that they know everything in order to be respected, and that’s just not true. People respect you more when you admit you need help and ask for it. – Lesa Seibert, Mightily
12. Set boundaries.
Making a successful shift from employee to CEO requires comfortable self-assurance, strong boundaries and the understanding that you are not below any task. Success lies on you, so get comfortable with rolling up your sleeves. Setting strong boundaries is important so that you can plan and execute the tasks necessary to move forward at a controlled scale. Now you can conduct business with confidence! – Ronke Komolafe, Integrated Physical & Behavioral Health Alliance
13. Change your perspective.
A change in perspective is needed for a mindset shift. A CEO is accountable to investors—learning the higher-level priorities that are driving the business and what strategies will lead to success is a key piece of this shift. Another component is an attitude that it is indeed “your business” and you are not “in it” but own it. Taking ownership of your work and its effect on the business is as important. – Sonia Gupta, MD, Change Healthcare
This article was published on Forbes.com.