Work, Inspiration, Delegation

 The true value of a leader is not measured by the work they do.

A leader's true value is measured by 

the work they inspire others to do.

Simon Sinek

CEO Job #1

The CEO/entrepreneur's #1 job is communication. 

And yet...

The problem with communication is 

the illusion it has been achieved. 

George Bernard Shaw

The CEO communicates the Dream, the Mission, Vision, Strategy, Goals, Plans, The Problem We Solve, How People Will Feel Better because of what we do, etc.

The CEO communicates to existing and prospective team members, customers, suppliers, investors. the press, etc.

The CEO has limited time and yet must communicate the message to potentially billions so that they take action.

There are many media of communication, including in person, phone call, online live video chat, 1-1, small group, large groups, email, text, mail, video YouTube, website, etc.

With all this communicating going on, the clever CEO will create a System for Effective Communication so that every iteration will drive continuous improvement in effectiveness considering speed, cost, and results.

The medium selected for the communication depends on factors such as audience (size, demographics, cost per result achieved, etc. 

Consider an example: A pre-revenue startup that needs to communicate to billions of potential users for the purpose of getting them to download an app would likely want to choose video, probably 1-2 minutes in length. The video would be hosted with YouTube, Vimeo, and website. The audience would click through to the video from search, email links, and ads on search and social media. Before a video can be made, the Message must be clear, and the video storyboarded. And there must be a system to measure the results of the video. This feedback goes into the changes for the next version of the video.

The same video should also motivate investors, paying customers, and prospective team members to join in the adventure.

Regardless of the medium, the message itself must be Brief, Clear, Powerful, and Get Results. The message must be continuously improved through Testing. A typical Message for a pre-revenue startup mentioned above would state the Problem and the Solution and have a Call to Action. Ideally, the Message would have some element of humor to be memorable and encourage sharing.

The above gives some idea of the potential complexities of communication, and CEOs who are unfamiliar with the challenges involved are advised to create and continuously improve their System for Effective Communication.

First Major Startup

I was doing startups before the word startup was used...

Just found in the archives, from 50 years ago, the annual report where my startup was featured, along with this awful photo. 

What's More Important?

 

Sunset is in an hour,

There's nothing I have to do until then.

One solid hour, I can do anything I want.

I could lie in the hammock

listen to the surf, 

and enjoy the rest of the day slip by,

maybe take a nap and dream of flying the biplane...

That sounds really good.

Or, I could do email, or watch a few YouTube videos, or see what's happening on Facebook, Twitter, Clubhouse, Snapchat, TikTok, Netflix, Amazon Prime video, or even LinkedIn. Lots of choices!

Or I could do something on my More Important List. 

Given the opportunity to really think about it, surely there are things more important than social media. And yet, here we are!

That's why I'm making a More Important List, to stick on the laptop/phone/tv. I'll add to it from time to time, and move some things to the top of the list and bingo: a Most Important List. 

Here are a few things I just put on my More Important List:

Family and friends: call, write, text, schedule a meetup.

Organize, Optimize, Simplify this work is never done and is highly rewarding.

Exercise: I can always use just a little more.

Write: Social media is for creators not consumers.

Read a book. I read a lot but I always have lots of books waiting for me. 

Hammock nap, dozing off to the sounds of the surf.

Learn something. Right now, I want to learn about web scraping. And there are a few good classes I can start anytime I want on MasterClass, which is a totally excellent gift my son Mike gave me for Father's day. I've already taken courses on Writing, Comedy, Poker, Chess, and my next one is going to be Negotiation.

Music. Just kick back and relax and have a good Think.

Meditate. Be still, and Breathe. Smile. Repeat.

​I feel better already now that I actually have a More Important List. That hammock is calling my name. Glad I put that on the list!