Long-standing CEOs almost universally say their number one job is to own and drive vision and values. At the same time, their common regret is not moving faster to get people in appropriate roles. Reflecting back, CEOs talk about how surprised they were by how lonely the job is, and both the positive and negative stress involved with being in charge. They also realize the less they do themselves, the more they will be able to inspire and enable others. So, focus first on:
- Owning the vision and values
- Investing in the right people
- Fueling the most important efforts by others
Those basics always apply. They are always necessary – and never sufficient. The secret to success is to apply those general basics to the particular context you face.