Being a CEO means you gotta stop sweeping the floor.
Is this you? “I don’t ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”
Seems great, right? Admirable?
I’d argue it’s not helping.
Let me explain:
I meet a lot of CEO-in-title-only folks. Leaders who are definitely at the helm, but they could also easily be mistaken for chief cook and bottle washer.
They’re still doing allllll the jobs, and can’t seem to exit the ‘staff’ level to fully inhabit the CEO role.
And I get it. I’ve done it. When you’re a human with empathy and a strong work ethic and you care about maintaining solidarity with and respect from your employees, you want to prove you’re not above anyone. Or any task.
You’re not distant and out of touch. You’re not holier than thou.
But a leader who’s running at or near their capacity, barely catching their breath — that person could be a liability to the whole organization. That person could, and I’d argue will, eventually, let their staff down.
Here’s the thing: being a good leader means supporting the people in the work they signed up for. Give your full attention to the work they need YOU to do — lead.
Leading is difficult. (So much so that doing someone else’s job might feel like a welcome distraction.) But all their hard work goes to waste if someone isn’t steering the ship. If you insist on paddling as much or more than anyone, you might end up going in circles.
I help people stretch into the role of an effective CEO — one that makes their team’s lives better. Not because you’re sharing their workload, but because you’re making sure all the work means something. That you reach the destination together.
Care about your team, YES. But care smart.
Stop trying to prove you can do their job, and do yours.
