"Things tend to snowball wherever I lean."
A CEO told me this while explaining why they'd assigned a consultant to lead a major new vertical.
Having admired a few charismatic leaders in my time, I know from experience that whatever the CEO focuses on becomes what the entire organization prioritizes. It isn’t a fully conscious decision on the part of the team. There’s simply a gravitational pull towards where the CEO is looking. Obsessing over funder preferences? They'll prioritize your funders instead of your clients. Focused on survival? They'll make short-term decisions.
So what are you focusing on?
This, by the way, is not the same as what you say in board meetings. Your team is not listening to your words, they’re tracking your attention. Think about how much time you spend with each department lead, or the meetings you choose to take vs not.
Sometimes you may want to focus on a short term challenge because that’s what the moment calls for. If, for example, fundraising is keeping you up at night, you may make decisions to prioritize that. But "just this once" can very easily become "who we are now."
The CEO I spoke with made a choice to focus on core programming, and holding the mission strong, while a consultant led the new vertical into earned revenue, and their team felt that too.
Where are you looking, and how is that affecting your organization?
