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How to Get CEOs to Play to Their Strengths

Cornerstone Editors

New CEOs tend to talk a big game about getting involved in day-to-day engagement with employees and teams, but many tend to fade back into the C-suite after a honeymoon phase -- not because they aren't involved, but typically because higher-level management duties tend to crowd out lower priorities. So how can the top exec remain an integral member of the team while running the company? Human Capitalist's Jay Forte suggests it's easier than most people think.

As a workplace coach, Forte spends much of his time focusing on how CEOs can use their strengths and passions to define day-to-day work that may include delegation of tasks, setting strategy, and holding lines with employees.

"In today’s workplace, few roles are static," Forte writes. "Most jobs require organizations to staff wisely and then augment employees’ roles and performance but sculpting the role around their additional abilities. The CEO position is the same. Though a CEO may be hired to handle core chief executive tasks, each CEO brings his or her own combination of skills that should be integrated into the role."

3 Questions for New CEOs

Forte suggests asking 3 questions CEOs should ask of themselves to determine how and where they can get more involved:

  1. What am I good at?

  1. What am I passionate about?

  1. What are the high value areas of the business that fit my interests and abilities?

"The next step is to list the CEO’s current responsibilities. Circle the ones that fit the CEO based on the answers above," Forte writes. "Review the remaining responsibilities and delegate them accordingly (with the proper training and authority-level, of course). Any duties that cannot be reassigned remain with the CEO. This creates a customized role for the CEO in the same way strong workplaces customize roles for their employees to ensure great fit, engagement and performance."

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