Accentuate the Positive

As a CEO, you have to be at the top of your game. No matter what the challenge is — managing employees, convincing prospects to become clients, or confronting a partner or key executive about a sensitive issue — the fewer barriers that are in your way, the better you perform.

Sure, it’s tough, and often we blame external issues or other people for our lack of action, like the marketplace, the economy, the competition, and other people’s resistance to change. Sometimes it really is outside forces beyond your control; but very often, it’s the internal forces, or the barriers inside you, that are the real problem. And we can control or remove these barriers.

If you’re not at the top of your game or not at your personal best, it is tough to grow your business. If you’re perpetually sleep deprived, dealing with family conflicts, not getting any downtime, not recharging… how can you grow your company?

I’ve seen CEOs turn themselves around, then turn their companies around. Too many negatives piled up can lead to depression and burnout. When you are not in a healthy frame of mind, challenges seem impossible, and I’ve seen CEOs want to give up and sell the company. The whole world looks different when they get more sleep, feed their personal needs, get nurturing from family and have more downtime. This is NOT just warm and fuzzy stuff. It translates into millions of dollars in revenues and profits.

To be at your personal best, try making a list of what fuels you and what holds you back, personally and professionally. A useful method for identifying what fuels you is a personal balance sheet. This works similarly to your company’s balance sheet in that it compares assets and liabilities. Start by drawing a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and putting “good things” at the top of the left column and “bad things” at the top of the right column.

Start with the plus side. Ask yourself: What energizes you? What makes you feel good? What revs you up, challenges you, turns you on? Write your answers in the positive column. Then ask yourself: What drains you and zaps your energy? What makes you feel bad? Record those answers in the bad column. See example below.

OK, now take the time to reflect on the list. What can you do to have more positives in your life? What would it take to make the positive stuff a priority? What practical steps will help you get more sleep and exercise? How can you reduce the things in the bad things column? Some CEOs I have worked with have reduced their participation in meetings. They have delegated routine tasks, such as payroll, and reserved their time for high-level concerns. They let their assistant screen and answer some e-mails, giving them alone time, without the BlackBerry. Taking these types of steps will give you more time to reflect on strategies, long-term goals and the growth of your business.

What do you need to change to be at the top of your game? Make a list to figure out the positives and negatives in your life. If you don’t know, take a walk in the woods — a personal retreat — and figure it out. Then, simply do more of the positives and less of the negatives. It can be the most important thing you can do for your business in this tough economy, and the best gift you’ve ever given yourself.

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