Become the CEO of YOU

Are you in control of you? Do you run your life in pursuit of what is most important to you and consistently achieve the results you want?

Most of us would like to say yes to these two questions but how many of us would be right? I’m willing to bet not many. One of the fundamental building blocks of personal growth is to understand who you are, who you want to be and then taking charge of you to ensure that you achieve your goal.

True personal growth requires first, that you, not others or circumstances, be the leader of self and actions. Without this, your direction may be easily skewed causing your road to become circuitous and confusing. Self awareness is the key to becoming the CEO of YOU because in that respect, you are able to not only see yourself as you are now but also use your imagination to project YOU the way you want to be.

Companies have CEOs for a reason… they need someone to lead the company in accomplishing its mission. The CEO is the commander in chief and as such he or she not only has to see the company as it is today but also has to possess the vision to see the company as it will be in the future. The CEO is responsible for making sure that the company’s goals are met by executing its mission in every aspect. He or she is responsible for making sure that all the employees understand and embody that mission in order for the company to succeed. Directing a company is not unlike directing yourself… they both require the same characteristics and commitment to achieve success.

Come with me for a moment on a little tour of self-discovery. Even if you’re certain that you know exactly who you are and that you are the leader of your life, take the trip anyway just to satisfy your curiosity.

Begin With a Personal Mission

What is your purpose, what’s your personal mission in life? First, let me define exactly what I mean by personal mission.

A personal mission is a clear objective that briefly outlines what, how and by what method you intend to accomplish your life’s goals. Your personal mission is derived from your core values and beliefs; it is the navigator in your life’s compass; it gives you clear direction of where you want to go and how you plan to get there. It could easily be formatted into a simple statement or a list of phrases or it could be something like what’s on my about page under the heading Dean’s Personal Mission Statement.

The reason it is absolutely imperative that you not only create but live your personal mission is because otherwise it is easy to get lost and lose your way. Frustration sets in quickly when your mind is cluttered with unclear thoughts and a confusing “things to do” list that gets you no closer to your heart’s desire. I’ve seen so many people get caught up in the “thick of thin things” and end up spiraling down into an abyss of uncertainty because they lack direction.

Think of it in terms of building your dream home. You’ve imagined everything from the color of the walls to the drapes and the family portrait you intend to hang over the fireplace. You’ve hired contractors, landscapers and decorators and everybody shows up ready to go to work and go to work they do. Each team is busier than a bee, hustling and bustling to get your dream home built. Sounds great… right?

Well everything is going great until a very frustrated and confused foreman comes over to you and asks, “So where do you want the master suite?” You look at him with annoyance and reply “Don’t you know?” I told you what I want it to look like, it was in my dream.” The foreman shoots back, “Well I don’t know where to put it because you didn’t give me the blueprint.” Huh! Do you get the point?

Without the blueprint, no one will know where to put anything and your dream home will never see the light of day. This is why before the first stake goes into the ground and before the first nail is driven, a blueprint must be drawn. It is the compass for building your dream home and it is consulted every day before work begins so that the foreman will know exactly where to put your luxurious master suite. You see, it is very possible to be extremely busy doing many things but, without a clear objective, a clear mission, being busy will only get you to nowhere faster.

If you do not know who you are or what your purpose is, you cannot effectively lead yourself; your personal growth will be stunted and you cannot become the CEO of YOU. Without a clear personal mission, you will be relegated to governing your life by the way the wind blows, by what is trendy, by what others are doing or you may simply knock about hoping you end up in the right place at the right time.

It’s no surprise that people who establish clear personal missions often achieve their goals; they understand that being in the right place at the right time is more often than not no accident at all but a conscious decision to follow a plan. They know exactly who they are, exactly where they want to go and exactly how they plan to get there.

Be Proactive not Reactive

Once you have created a clear personal mission, you have to follow through in order to breathe life into it. This means that you will do what it takes to live your personal mission day in and day out. It is a deep commitment that requires consistent work especially since it is much easier to break a promise you’ve made to yourself. Being proactive is the only way to make your personal mission a part of you; it must become the doctrine by which you govern your life.

Being proactive can unleash unimaginable power and creativity. It is not simply a term meaning to take initiative; it goes far deeper than that. Proactive people seek to act, grow and change rather than waiting for others or circumstances to move them. When you are proactive, your decisions and actions are based on your core values. You consciously choose how you respond in any given situation because you understand that your responses are your choices. You do not blame others or circumstances for your situation, that’s reactive. Reactive people are susceptible to making decisions based on other people’s opinion of them or circumstances. Proactive people always affect changes; Reactive people are always affected by changes.

If your personal mission is derived from your core values and you are proactive about living your personal mission, then you can effectively self-lead; you can become the CEO of YOU. You do not move in the direction the wind happens to blow; your actions stem from your core values, your purpose, and your personal mission.

Let’s look at it another way. If you break down the words proactive and reactive, it goes directly to the heart of my point.

Pro, the prefix, by definition means expert or master of something so therefore if you are Pro-active it means you are the master of your activities… the master of your fate; you take full responsibility for your personal growth and development. Conversely, Re, the prefix, by definition means in reference to or regarding something so therefore if you are Re-active it means that you only act when something or someone else acts upon you and not of your own volition.

Leading From the Inside-out

It took a very long time for this to click in my brain but eventually the light bulb turned on – DUH! Often times I have found that people want desperately to lead others but lack the ability to effectively lead self. These are the same people who often wonder why no one listens to them or follows their lead. They blame others for their lack of leadership, their lack of direction… again, reactive people. The plain fact is if you cannot effectively lead self, you cannot effectively lead others because you have no compass, you lack direction.

When you lack direction, the people behind you figure it out soon enough because they eventually get dizzy from the circles in which you’ve taken them. There are not many things more frustrating than following someone who hasn’t a clue where he’s going. It’s like trying to drive to Pittsburgh using directions to Boston… you’ll never make it. If you do not know what your mission is or to where you are going, how will you lead others to where they need to go?

This is why your blueprint has to be clear so that you will know how to proceed. Your personal mission gives you the doctrine on how you lead self which gives rise to how you lead others. Leadership then, begins inside, with you. It is governed by your intrinsic values and beliefs and resonates from the inside-out. When you clearly and proactively live your personal mission others will follow you. And, even those that choose not to follow you will undoubtedly respect you because you know where you stand and so do they.

Smart CEOs do not change the mission of the company because employees do not believe in it. They would sooner fire those employees and hire ones who do believe in the company mission. Likewise, you should not waver in your mission simply because others do not like or believe in it. What matters is what you believe and that your personal mission crystallizes your purpose and catapults you to achieving your goals.

Courage Under Fire

With every action comes a natural consequence albeit positive or negative. Becoming the CEO of YOU requires that you accept this universal, unchanging and natural law. You are not, nor will you ever be the CEO of natural consequences. These consequences will occur whether you want them to or not.

That being said, it is important that you understand, believe in and live your personal mission regardless of the consequences it brings. Accept the natural consequences of your actions and learn to live with them. If your actions are based on values grounded in correct principles then for the most part the natural consequences that come your way will be positive. If, for whatever reason, you do not like the consequences of your choices, you have the freedom and the power to change them.

Having the courage to stand your ground and having the courage to change your stance are actually one in the same. Because your personal mission is clear, you also have the freedom and flexibility to change the way you accomplish it without violating your core values. As long as your choices and your actions are in line with your personal mission, you can be confident in the results and accept the consequences that accompany them.

It takes courage to stand your ground when the ground beneath you seems to be shaking or when others confront or belittle you. When your personal mission comes under fire, fall back on your core values to direct your choices and your actions. Nothing says you are the CEO of YOU more than standing your ground even when it seems like the odds are against you.

As Mohandas Ghandi put it “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If you are still waiting on the world to change before you act, then you are just a reactor with no real purpose. Face it, when was the last time greatness was achieved by waiting around for it to happen? Greatness belongs to those who seize the day and make choice after choice that gets them closer to their ultimate goal. Stop waiting for changes to affect you and start affecting changes.