5 things I think you should know about being a leader

I have been a CEO since 2009, the first for 3.5 years and the current one for 9 years so far. It’s a constant learning opportunity. The things you think will happen, normally don’t and you end up doing things you just didn’t expect to be doing. Here are just 5 things that I have decided that I would have benefitted from knowing at the start.

No 1 Get used to delivering the difficult messages. This is a skill not everyone has. Have you been given bad news and knew it was coming and just sat there thinking, get to the bloody point will you? I am the master of this now. I have made people redundant, sacked them, told a family their children were being taken into care because their social worker bottled it in a child protection meeting, told teams funding is cut or withdrawn, informed colleagues that another colleague had ended their own life……. But not all bad news is catastrophic but still needs some sensitivity. Conversations around performance, capability, terminating contracts with suppliers or just thing around change that people don’t always want to hear are more common. Sometimes I am the messenger but many times I am the instigator. I don’t enjoy this but it is my responsibility.

Being a CEO of any organisation carries the ultimate responsibility; to your investors, clients, staff, trustees and there has to be boundaries or it fails in its purpose and as a business.

I have been on management training where the concept of the “shit sandwich” is presented as an option. You know, say something positive, praise or feedback. Then your bad news and end the conversation with praise. I don’t buy that. I am not suggesting being an arse about it but don’t flower it up. You can just get the point without being abrupt and still be constructive. If you start waffling the person knows you are talking rubbish and is ready for the bombshell or you end up going round the houses and avoiding it or diluting the message.

If you have been consistent, fair and followed your own procedures people cannot argue with it.

Be professional, be an adult, be respectful - but do your job.

No 2 Don’t compromise your values. Don’t put yourself in a compromising position e.g. work for a company you don’t respect, take funding from a source that is in direct conflict with your mission or try to be something you are not as a slave to the pay packet. I once had to politely decline financial support from the owner of a lap dancing club; I didn’t think it sat well with the work we were doing to support young people from being trafficked, exiting sexual exploitation and grooming etc. The guy was truly surprised with my refusal but he did understand.

If you do join forces with something or someone you really don’t agree with, it will only lead to problems sooner or later. Your well being will be tormented if you are doing something you intensely dislike or for someone whom you despise as your values don’t match. Authenticity and Integrity are my top 2 values and I am lucky they are a 100% match with the organisation I lead. To get this right you need to know what your own values are.

No 3 Don’t be a dick. This is universal advice, not limited to being a CEO or any other role in life. It is my favourite quote ever and to me it sums up having integrity I think that’s why it resonates so much for me. I think this as an instruction should underpin some job descriptions!! You don’t have to be a saint – you have to be decent, fair, consistent and stick to your principles. The added bonus is that when you say it, it feels good.

No 4 There is no crystal ball. You are not a magician. It’s ok to say I don’t know, I need to think that through, I’ll get back to you……. If you don’t have an immediate answer. Thinking time, planning time is not wasted. I used to think if I wasn’t typing furiously or in endless meetings people would think I wasn’t really busy….. bollocks. You need time to work things out, scope, assess risk and you also don’t need to be at your desk to do that. In fact it’s probably more productive if you are not.

No 5 Knowing your worth. This is especially important for the third sector. Running a charity is just like running a business with the same risks, pitfalls, legal obligations, employee responsibility and so on. There is added pressure of managing public and charitable income wisely and legally as well as the outcomes that must be achieved in the not for profit sector. So do not be embarrassed about earning a salary for that and one that is proportionate to what you are doing.

In my role I am responsible for the people that work here, everyone that uses the service, safeguarding, governance, reputation and so on but also directly responsible to bring in over £3m a year to keep it all running. Why should the third sector pay less if they are under pressure to deliver absolute quality? The third and voluntary sector are the backbone of the community and without it there would be suffering, poverty, early deaths, abuse, exploitation, illness and more. Peoples basic needs not being met…….

But don’t forget you are not in this alone….. reward and recognition is important for all the workforce overall. They work miracles and that is priceless.