Book Overview: CEO Next Door by Elena Botelho and Kim Powell
We are going to breakdown the four key behaviors CEOs use to be successful
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Why this book?
Last year I read this book after many years of putting it off, and I could not have loved it more. The lessons in this book have stuck with me to this day and will continue to as I move forward in my life. I have analyzed this book from cover to cover, so it only seemed right to let all of my readers in on what I have found.
It is perfect for The In-Between Newsletter because it ties in perfectly with career and personal growth.
Rather than breaking down each chapter – because at that point you should just go read the book yourself – we are going to breakdown the four major themes of the book. The premise of the book is that there are four behaviors that all CEOs have in common that contributed to their success.
Those four behaviors are:
1. Being Decisive
2. Relentlessly Reliable
3. Adapt Boldly
4. Engage for Impact
Authors Elena Botelho and Kim Powell conducted a study on hundreds of CEOs and concluded that the list above is what sets successful CEOs apart from everyone else. You know, in-between people, like us.
Mind you, while you might not aspire to be a CEO, I am willing to bet you do aspire to be successful. Adopting these four behaviors will help you to reach your goals, regardless of what specifically those goals may be.
Now let’s jump into those four behaviors one at a time.
Behavior 1: Being Decisive
It is all about speed in this fast-paced world we are living in. In the wise words of Ricky Bobby’s father, “If you’re not first, you’re last!” We all just need to live more like Ricky Bobby. Okay in all seriousness, we all know the world moves quickly and there are never enough hours in the day, but how do we become faster? For a lot of us, it is a work in progress. You could be still in school and still trying to figure out where you even fit in this world. You could be early in your career and just getting into the flow of your day-to-day life. You could be in the middle of your career looking for something new.
No matter where you are in your life, you can always be working on speed and efficiency.
The book covers three crucial themes when it comes to being decisive:
- Make decisions faster
- Make fewer decisions
- Progress every time
Make Decisions Faster
Plot twist: there is no secret to speed. The secret is in staying organized.
It is imperative to always have things prepared when going into situations. If you have a test – study. If you have a meeting – have your action items laid out on a meeting agenda. To make decisions faster, you cannot be taking the time to think about them in the moment. You should come into these decisions with a thought already laid out.
Look at your calendar and allot time for yourself to prepare for things ahead of time.
Make Fewer Decisions
We all tend to make an abundance of a decisions during our days. But the great CEOs stay away from them.
Once you have a plan and everything has been decided, stick with it. If you don’t, you can lead yourself into the dreaded paralysis by analysis. See what I did there?
There is even a saying about this idea, “go with your gut.” If there is data to back it up, pull the trigger. This is for all things in life – career, life, and financial!
Progress Every Time
You will slowly start to see growth if you practice those two behaviors above. Keeping either a mental note or a physical tracker can help show your progression.
The way I measure my progress is by seeing how much time this opens up in my day. You will be amazed how much extra time you will have if you start making confident decisions.
These behaviors are all building blocks, keep stacking them on top of each other each day.
Behavior 2: Relentlessly Reliable
Let’s start with an exercise. Think of someone you would describe as being reliable. The person that always shows up, helps out, and gets the job done without you having to worry for a second if they will or not.
That person is probably successful in what they do, right? Exactly!
All great CEOs are consistently delivering on what they say. Guess what? You can do that too! It is not rocket science. It is a mental state of choosing to be focused, organized and ready to go.
Trust me, you will know, and you will feel it when you are the relentlessly reliable person around the office, in the school, or to your friends. Let’s break down how you can become that person.
The book talks about three great themes for this behavior:
- Set expectations
- Be counted on by standing up
- Stay organized
Set Expectations
It is very hard to set expectations, for multiple reasons. Usually, you either shoot for the stars or don’t even try. There is no in-between.
A way I like to set expectations for myself is laying out my To-Do list and reminding myself what needs to get done today. If more pops up, that is when you need to remind yourself that you are focused on delivering what is already on the table.
It is easy to get overwhelmed, so having those expectations that you wake up to everyday can be a strong mental exercise to keep your mind at rest.
Be Counted On
Put yourself out there! Be the one that takes on the tough task in the school project, be the one that takes on the new project at work, just do it! Once you have accepted something this will keep you reliable to the task at hand. The bonus is, when you succeed, you will start to show the narrative that you are the one that wants to be counted on.
The best example of this is Michael Jordan. When he walked on the floor everyone knew, he was the guy taking the last shot. But that didn’t matter at all. The defense couldn’t stop him. He was the most reliable guy on the team because he took chances, he never shied away from failure, and he showed up for his team by making the last shot.
You will notice you develop a sense of confidence when you do this, and that is what you want! Michael Jordan was called on to make the last shot of games and constantly followed through, and so can you.
Stay Organized
To be reliable really means to be organized. This is up to whatever works best for you. Everyone is different in the ways they stay organized. Don’t be like Dwight.
Personally, I like having a mix of physical notes, calendars, and items with some online resources as well.
Behavior 3: Adapt Boldly
The scary unknown of the future can be hard on people. Even waking up each day to a new, potentially stressful situation can be hard on people. We have all experienced uneasy feelings at least once in our lives. That is why being adaptable is so important.
People who have become CEOs have taken the road less traveled and dove right in to the unknown. That is what you need to do as well. Adapting boldly in situations will lead to success. How exactly are you supposed to do that, you might be asking? Well, I have some tips for you!
Everyone can be tied down by past decisions and changing that is the key first step. Take the lessons of the past and move on. Do not let them dictate what you will do next. If you do, you will not adapt boldly in uncomfortable decisions in the future. Like I said above, this isn’t rocket science, but at the same time can be very challenging.
Once you start letting go of the past you can start progressing towards the future. If you have your eyes focused forward you are more likely to be quick on your feet and act fast.
Botelho and Powell do a great job of explaining the mental roadblocks people can put in front of themselves, and how the CEOs they interviewed refused let that happen.
The old adage is always, “go with your gut.” That is straight facts right there.
Think back to when you trusted your gut in the past. It either went way better then you expected, or you learned a valuable lesson. Maybe you even got both. Do not pass up on those opportunities.
Behavior 4: Engage for Impact
Do you notice whenever a CEO speaks it is always something memorable? It is eye catching and well thought out. That is not an accident. They have mastered the art of engaging for impact. Everything they do and say has impact, so they have to be good at it.
How do they do this? The authors say it perfectly, they, “lead with intent.”
Leading with intent is not only being confident but understanding the metaphorical game you are playing with yourself.
When you know the people around you and know how to interact with each of them, this leads to engaging for impact. None of those surface level conversations, but true connections being made during every exchange.
When talking with someone, try and focus on truly being involved in the moment. Listen and converse and see how much more of an impact that interaction creates.
By doing this, you will always see results follow. Only if, however, you establish routines that promote impact. I don’t know about you, but I have always been completely fascinated by the daily schedule and routines of an average CEO. Why is that? They go to work and live life too? They simply create a higher impact than other people, and we are fascinated by it. We are all so fascinated by how they live and want to find how we can drive impact like they do.
This behavior is one you really need to be cognizant of to truly be able to adopt it. Find techniques that work for you and learn from the CEOs you admire.
Bringing It All Together
Why am I writing this article for this week? Because the lessons I found in this book have stuck with me to this day. In all aspects of life, career, and finances. Think of this article as a challenge to wake up tomorrow with a new perspective. Take these four behaviors and change the way you are living for the better.
We all have a dream, let this be that kick in the butt you need to start chasing it, from the people that followed their dreams – CEOs.
Shoutout to Elena Botelho and Kim Powell for this amazing research and book to summarize it. If you have not read it yet, I highly recommended picking it up today.
Below is a great graphic putting everything together.
Cheers!
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