Am I Ready To Be a CEO? Is It The Right Step? 3 Tips To Help You Decide - Career Coach UK

Is becoming a CEO is the natural next step for you? Are you wondering if you have what it takes?

Perhaps you don’t know if you have the energy to scale another mountain in your career.

Or perhaps taking the helm feels like too giant a leap, and you are afraid that it could all come crashing down.

A decision like this is not one to be taken lightly.

But the swirling confusion can be very distracting, draining you of precious energy and creating additional stress in your life.

It is normal to feel like this when you are considering going to the next level, but there are ways to gain more clarity on this big decision and reduce the angst.

Let’s figure if this CEO thing is for you …

Tip 1 – First, get clear about your own personal vision.

To lead others, you need to be absolutely clear about where YOU are going.

Having your own personal vision will enable you to lead out of who you are and what you believe rather than having to shoehorn yourself in with some clumsy, incongruent, forced persona.

Make a list of 10-20 details that vividly describe your ideal future in 10 years. Spend at least an hour on it (it is that important), and dare to paint it bright.

Equipped with this vision, deciding on whether a specific CEO role suits you, you’ll have a checklist against which to compare.

Additionally, an exciting personal vision puts fear in its lower-priority place.

So get clear — very, very clear.

Tip 2 – Get truly honest with yourself about why you want to take on the responsibility.

If your motivation is to prove your self-worth or quell a fear from your past, then I urge you to think about this more carefully.

As a leader, you will be under scrutiny 24/7, and people will be on the lookout to see if your words match up with your actions.

If you tell them you are here to change the world, but in truth, you are here to prove worthiness to your dad, sooner or later the inconsistency will show, and you’ll be less impactful.

Also, your WHY is also going to be the thing that sustains you when times get tough.

In my experience, the most successful leaders are driven by passion and desire instead of fear and insecurity.

And note: If you have uncovered an unhealthy driver behind your desire to get to the top, don’t get discouraged.

It’s good to see it and then go deeper and get clearer.

I have worked with many leaders who have made the brave decision to face their fears and demons. Each one has emerged as a more robust and more trustworthy leader.

So get truly honest with yourself. Get clear about the WHY.

Tip 3 – Put boundaries around your deliberation time.

When you are making significant decisions, it is easy to get consumed.

Too much going round and round in your head becomes completely unproductive.

Taking time out from ‘thinking’ often brings a fresh perspective. So make plans to do activities that force you out of your head – like playing with the kids, going for a walk or a challenging hike.

To further quell constant deliberating, set aside intentional time in your week where you will take affirmative action on progressing your decision.

For example, you could set up a regular conversation with a mentor, journal on the exercises above or invest in regular sessions with a coach.

Boundaries also increase the quality of your thinking and free you up to have life in between.

Set them.

How Alex gained perspective on his CEO decision

When I coached Alex, he was the COO of a medium-sized charity. He knew his time in this role was nearly up but was concerned the step up would take him too far out of his comfort zone.

He worried it would adversely affect his confidence, his family, not to mention the organisation he might lead.

Through coaching, Alex was able to define what he wanted and why he wanted it. The clarity and excitement that came from it were based on what personally authentically moved him.

He also signed up for the 4M Extreme Character Challenge. Through this physical and mental trial, he discovered he could handle more than he thought.

He began to see the positive, wide-reaching impact he could achieve through all his experience, and it far outweighed his fears.

When a role did come up, he quickly saw that he was an excellent fit for the organisation, and with the confidence he had built through the 4M Extreme Character Challenge, the interview process was a breeze!

Alex got the job. We then worked together on the organisation’s vision and purpose, and two years on, the organisation is going from strength to strength.

In deciding whether to take the leap, remember…

First, get clear about where you are going in your life by setting your vision.

Take a hard look at WHY you want to take on such a role and your true motivations behind it.

Put some boundaries around your deliberation time to gain perspective.

By following these tips, a new view will emerge from the fog and a stronger sense of whether this is the right step.

You can then confidently say yes or no, knowing you have given your best to the decision, and you can move forward free of regret and at peace with yourself.

Are you consumed with questions about whether to go for a next-level role? Do the risks seem too high? Do you worry about making a mistake?

I love helping people put some structure around how to tackle the big career decisions to gain clarity on what is right for them and live the life they were meant for.

If this is what you need right now, why not give me a call, and we can work out a plan to find the way onwards and upwards.

Private message me or visit MarianneWelshCoaching.com.