That’s what I read on a ‘scroll’ in my friend’s office last week.
My long-time friend, Rob Kirkby, founder of Energy Advantage, has a plaque standing a few feet from his desk and chair. The scroll on that plaque caught my attention. I asked if I could take a picture and write a Thought Post about it.
Rob agreed…
Here is the picture…taken with my BlackBerry
Obviously, I was in a bit of a rush…the picture is a bit fuzzy.
Here’s what the scroll says:
“A CEO does only three things
Sets the overall vision and strategy of the company and communicates it to all stakeholders.
Recruits, hires, and retains the very best talent for the company.
Makes sure there is always enough cash in the bank.”
Business Leaders spend much time thinking about best practices. I know Rob is a very thoughtful fellow…there is no question he has spent much time thinking about best practices, including the best practices of his role - the CEO.
When I saw ‘Rob’s scroll’ my first two thoughts were about key success factors and vital signs for business performance. Key Success Factors are the very-most-important things we must get right in order to succeed in business. Vital Signs are our way of describing specific business tasks we must monitor if we are to achieve our Goals in order to succeed in business.
When I saw ‘Rob’s scroll’ it was clear Rob had decided key success factors and the daily vital activities for his CEO role. I say daily vital activities because Rob can not avoid seeing his scroll every day, every time he sits at his desk. So, his scroll stands as a constant reminder…Rob’s benchmark for action.
For me: ‘Rob’s scroll’ provided an excellent reminder about many things required for excellent Business Leadership… recognize what’s most important…keep it simple…monitor daily vitals…remind yourself…breed good habits…and lead by example.
Thanks for this great illustration of leadership, Rob!