What Does it Take to be a Great CEO?

‘As the CEO your time should be focused on making sure the machine runs smoothly and putting people in the right places’ 

Nick shares what it takes to be a great CEO and discusses whether you can learn how to do it in this absorbing episode. 

Find out now if you’re building a high-value, exitable business (even if you have no immediate plans to sell it). You’ll get an instant PDF report with powerful insights specifically tailored to your business in just 4 minutes.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS 

Being a CEO is first and foremost about leadership how you lead others, how you influence and congruency in who you are. 

Being a CEO is lonely - Whatever the size of the business it is lonely -  you are in a league of your own but you serve many masters 

If you on a board you are part of a team and drive a piece of the strategy but as CEO that strategy good or bad you own and everyone in the team is looking for you to execute the strategy and own the outcome. 

You have to be thick-skinned - You’ve got to be ready for judgements which are sometimes founded and sometimes unfounded. You are responsible for the people in the business and externally to customers and investors. 

If you have fragility and you don’t like criticism or conflict then being a great CEO will be challenging because criticism and conflict are part of the role. 

Surrounding yourself with other people who have skills, attributes and experiences that you don’t yet have is key. 

Nothing is more important than putting the right people in the right place at the right time - Whatever the business model you’ve got to be able to relate and to lead and manage people. You need to be able to identify skills in others that will allow you to get to where you want to be faster. 

There is a fine line between compassion and doing what’s right for the company 

Being the roadshow - For many companies, the CEO is the face of the company, the roadshow. The CEO needs the ability to connect, to be authentic and real. Being the roadshow is about people buying into you. 

Being the roadshow is about being able to share the strategy and story multiple times so that as you inspire and connect everyone inside the business is following suit. 

Your values ultimately determine your value - The values and standards of the CEO set the culture of the business. 

You must share what’s important to you, your values through the vision. You align the vision, values and standards to the results and outcomes you are trying to achieve.  Remember to have fun - Whether you are the CEO of a big company or a start-up, you’ve worked hard to be in the position and need to enjoy it. 

You are creating something and opening the door to new opportunities and that’s massively exciting. 

Set high expectations and be deliberate in your leadership. Being a CEO is all about the people you work with. They are the ones who are going to get you where you want to go 

  

BEST MOMENTS 

‘I made sure I got good at the managing people side of things and  focused on developing my leadership’ 

‘You don’t have to be the same as someone else but you have to bring these characteristics in to be a great CEO’ 

‘You can learn to be a great CEO and if you learn to be a great leader of yourself you can learn to be a great leader of others. 

  

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

Scale Up Your Business Podcast 

90 Day Business Growth Accelerator website 

  

ABOUT THE HOST 

Nick Bradley is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and business growth expert.

His background is growing and scaling Venture Capital and Private Equity backed businesses globally. Over the last decade, he has completed 117 acquisitions and 25 business exits with a combined valuation of over $5bn dollars.

His mission is to help business founders build valuable businesses and create life-changing exits so they can realise freedom, wealth, and impact. 

CONTACT METHOD

Nick’s Facebook page: https://scaleup.vip/FB  
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI  
Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG  
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://suyb.global

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