On Loneliness, Leadership and Energy Systems
"The CEO is the loneliness position" <- A business statement I'm aiming to turn into a myth.
As I've settled into becoming the CEO of PushPress, I heard and was warned by many that "It's lonely at the top" and "The CEO is the loneliest position".
I never really understood why those phrases exist until recently.
I'm exhausted, and I'm not sure why
I woke up two weeks ago and realized this. I’ve been exhausted…
I spent the last week thinking about this in my free time - and I've come to a personal epiphany on the framework of leadership I thought I'd share.
It all comes down to energy transfer.
As a leader, you must be always on. You are consistently transferring energy outward.
Those in your direct path will receive and absorb your energy, vision, passion and courage...
... and receiving energy is... energizing.
Often as a CEO you're broadcasting this energy to your direct reports, who are in turn broadcasting energy to theirs. This flow of energy, ideas, and passion is natural and it's what every organization needs...
... but who's giving energy to the CEO?
The Basic Law of Energy
The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed - only converted from one form of energy to another. This means that a system always has the same amount of energy, unless it's added from the outside.
In most businesses, the CEO, sitting atop the organization, is broadcasting energy to the organization.
There is no natural mechanism for people to send energy to the CEO, nor should there be.
If a CEO is continually projecting energy into the team, and the laws of energy state that energy cannot be created - how does the CEO have infinite energy to give?
Energy Supply
The CEO, in fact, receives energy from the company as a whole. The wins, the successes, and movement of the organization all create energy the CEO can absorb. After all, these very wins are all a direct result of vision or direction the CEO has put into place.
But what happens when the wins slow down? Or the movement doesn't provide energy back ot the CEO at the rate she is expending it on her team?
Does the energy of a leaders slowly bleed out, like a battery?
After a lot of thought on this, I realized - this is what happens in most companies. The energy systems in place slowly drain the CEO until the CEO is seeking to receive energy from external sources (starting new companies, partying in ibiza, creating new friend circles, etc)
However, the exceptional CEOs are able to create a different energy system to thrive on (we will discuss later).
Transactional Energy Systems
I set the vision. I set the goals. I set the outcomes. You go do it.
Think of your business like a garden.
You provide your seedlings with the sunlight, water, love and attention and in return expect the plants to yield 3 tomatoes a day.
Except after a month of effort, the plants only yield 1 tomato a day. We're let down. If those same plants yield 3 tomatoes every two days, we similarly feel let down.
In fact, any yield outside of 3 tomatoes a day (or more!) will result in a feeling that the plants underperformed. We gave them everything we knew they needed, yet they produced less than expected.
In a transactional energy system, we're asking for a trade.
I'll invest my energy in you and you give me what I think is the best outcome possible. Anything different than my defined outcome is a drain of my energy.
I've come to believe mediocre CEOs and leaders operate this way - transactionally. They pour their energy into a desired outcome, and their teams are simply a conduit to it.
Why Transactional Systems Are Flawed
There are many reasons why a pre-prescribed outcome might not be achievable.
You bought the wrong seeds to get 3 tomatoes a day.
You planted them in the wrong season.
You didn’t understand the soil requirements right.
The sun decided to not show for a week.
The bottom line is there’s no way you can be expert enough or in the weeds enough (pun intended) to be able to know, measure, and execute all of the many factors that lead to success from the CEO position.
You must rely on a team of experts to carry out the operation.
Now - if you don’t have the right team in place who can do this, that IS your job. Evaluate and assemble the right team of experts who can get a job done.
Transformative Energy Systems
I set the vision. We set the goals. You set the outcomes. You go do it.
Now imagine the same scenario, but instead of asking for 3 tomatoes per day, you simply ask your garden to produce the most delicious vegetables that it can. You scatter a variety of seeds and give all of them an opportunity to grow and flourish.
To do this, you have to shift your mindset. Set the vision, trust the results to your team. Instead of asking for 3 tomatoes you need to simply tell them our objective is to produce the best vegetables possible.
Your team must now be empowered to evaluate opportunity, decide on goals and work towards the outcomes. They must become self-sufficient to make the best choices and deploy resources in the way that best supports the vision.
You, in turn, must focus on growing your team into this ability and skillset.
Now we're talking about a system where energy can be returned back to the CEO in kind. When we invest our time and energy in ways that show result, growth and promise, we are fulfilled.
Next level CEO's are pouring their energy into the vision and building the teams they trust to find the outcomes.
How To Switch Leadership Styles
This is a topic I'll cover in another post. Stay tuned!