The Most Important Work a CEO Does Doesn't Always Look Like Work
I've met plenty of CEOs who genuinely don't know what they're supposed to do all day.
Not because they're lazy or disengaged. Quite the opposite. They're so accustomed to doing everything that they struggle to figure out what their job actually is.
Think about how most entrepreneurs start their businesses. You're the salesperson, the marketing department, the head of operations, and probably the person making sure the bills get paid.
But as your company grows, your role needs to change. You hire people to take over responsibilities, build a leadership team, and gradually remove yourself from the day-to-day.
At least, that's the idea.
Many CEOs never fully make the transition.
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Here's something that can be difficult for entrepreneurs to accept: The most important work you do as CEO might not look like work at all.
Your primary responsibilities come down to four things:
Company vision: Setting the direction for the business and making sure everyone understands where you're headed.
Company culture: Establishing the values and expectations that define how your organization operates.
Key relationships: Building and maintaining relationships with important customers, partners, and stakeholders.
Leading the executive team: Making sure your leaders have the direction, accountability, and support they need to succeed.
Notice what's missing? Running the sales department. Managing service delivery. Solving every problem that comes across your desk.
Those are important jobs. But they shouldn't all be your jobs.
And the responsibilities that do belong to you require something many entrepreneurs are uncomfortable with: unstructured time.
Time to think about the business, develop your leaders, and pursue opportunities that could transform your company over the next few years.
It can feel like fake work, especially when you're used to measuring productivity by how much you get done.
But it isn't.
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Take a look at your calendar from the past week. How much time did you spend on those four CEO responsibilities?
Now identify the activities you're still doing because you've always done them, because you're good at them, or because it's easier than delegating.
Those are the responsibilities you should start handing off.
That doesn't mean becoming a hands-off CEO. You're not a figurehead or a mascot. You're still accountable for the company's success.
But owning an outcome and personally doing the work are two very different things.
Your job isn't to be the person who does the most work. It's to build a company where everyone, including you, is doing the right work.
