Being a CEO means that you naturally have to wear a lot of hats, most of which are truly unique to the CEO role. And in this role, there’s no shortage of challenges. Here are some of the top challenges facing today’s CEOs, and how you can stay abreast of them.
Staying on top of technical changes
The tech landscape is changing every day. And if your product or service happens to fall in the SaaS industry, then you are well aware of competitive challenges, and the stress surrounding innovation and being the first to market.
As the CEO of your company, it’s your job to lead this charge to always be learning more. Do not get complacent, or foster a culture of complacency. Reward employees for being thought leaders, and for practicing proactive innovation. Set aside learning blocks so that employees feel they have time to become thought leaders. Learning, and then being able to iterate off that learning is one of the most important things any company can do.
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Hiring the right people
Hiring the right people for your company is crucial skill and practice. Without the best people, you cannot expect your company to grow. So, take the time to make sure you hire the right people. Especially if you are in the early stages of your business, and you are growing quickly, you will feel pressure to hire people fast to support this growth. But taking the time up front to interview many candidate, present test exercises and do your research will pay off down the road. If you hire employees to quickly, you run the risk of them not working out – and then you will have wasted tons of valuable time training them. And time is money! Time is your most valuable resource, and you need to spend it as wisely and productively as possible.
Honing their own skills
When you are running a company, it’s easy to lose track of your own growth path, and focus more on the growth paths of others. However, it’s crucial to continue to grow and expand your own leadership skills, as well as expanding industry knowledge to continue to lead your company to success. Especially with the technological challenges of today, learning and growth is key to continuing to grow.
So make time for yourself and invest in your own learning and growth. Commit to educating yourself on every facet of your company’s core product or service, and understand how to scale safely and effectively. Some of the world’s wealthiest and most successful people start their day by reading for 30 minutes in their area of study. Practice this habit for yourself and see how your mental clarity and aptitude grows as a result.
Being aware of these various challenges that CEOs face is step number one to being able to prepare for and overcome them. As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Prepare yourself for all potential challenges, and you will never be surprised. And your company will benefit significantly from these preventative measures as well.
