As CEO your job is to ensure your organisation and your people are resilient; able to manage the highs and lows of business, you’re ‘always-on’. In normal times you relish this opportunity as you daily tweak the dials, pulling the levers that make the business better and inspiring your people to be the best they can be.
We are not in normal times.
The environment is more uncertain than ever, your role hasn’t changed but the energy you must expend has probably increased exponentially. You need to be the best you can be, and in my humble opinion, you may need to unplug.
Having recently taken a week off to experience a Z-email free staycation during lockdown (translation: zoom and email free break). I can attest to the refreshing power of that break.
I am very fortunate in that the Sydney lockdown is more a frustration rather than a major impost on my business or my psyche, I can operate my business comfortably from my home office. However, I find I cram more meetings in my day now – because I can – with no commute it’s easy to start on zoom early and finish late. Great for a while, not great for a long time. I realised this only when I had taken the break.
Unlike Olympic athletes who train intensely for a 4-year period to be in ‘peak-condition’ at a moment in time, the CEOs job is to be close to their peak all the time. That’s a challenge that just goes with the job description. This does not diminish the contribution that the Leadership Team and all the people make in an organisation, it’s just a fact, the conductor of the orchestra is needed every night.
A Short Survey
I am vested in the success of Leaders in organisations, to help them be the best they, and hence their organisations, can be. To help you evaluate how well you can disconnect from the state of being ‘always-on’ please take the short survey.
CEO Unplugged
One step you can take regularly to unplug is to join me and a group of your CEO peers once a month for 55 minutes to briefly disconnect from that ‘always-on’ state. In conversation with your peers, you’ll share and learn insights about topics relevant to you.
This is one positive step you can take regularly, and you need only to put it in your calendar, show up and engage. And for the moment its free. ‘CEO Unplugged’ launches Friday September 10th.
You may attend CEO Unplugged as often as you like. Just register once, put the dates in your diary you can attend, and we will send a reminder before each event.
Anthony Moss.