Avoiding the CEO Slowdown: How to Lead a High-Growth Company with Speed and Efficiency

As CEO, your actions speak louder than your words. What you do sets the standard for the values and culture of your company. One key aspect of running a high-growth business is speed. Getting to the same destination faster is often more valuable. It's true that most CEOs, especially founder CEOs, are the hardest-working people in their company, setting a high bar for work ethic and making sacrifices for the company. However, this doesn't always translate to speed.

As CEO, you have the ultimate context and the most knowledge in your field. But as your company grows, the demands on you can become all-consuming. Many CEOs reach out to me for coaching because they feel overwhelmed and can't keep up. This is often due to not operating at the right level or not having the right leadership team. If you find yourself too deep in the details and making up for the weaknesses of one or more leaders, you may be slowing your company down.

One way to check if you're slowing down your company is to reflect on your own habits. Are you taking days to respond to emails or messages? Are you only responding to some messages and ignoring others? Does it take a long time to schedule a meeting with you because your calendar is packed? Are you unable to react quickly to changes, opportunities, or emergencies because your schedule is too rigid? Are you unable to be fully present in meetings because you're thinking about what's next or overwhelmed by your responsibilities? If any of these are true, then despite your best efforts, you may be slowing your company down. And by doing so, you're also setting a norm that it's okay to be slow and not fully present.

The solution is not to work harder, but to operate at the right level and build the strongest leadership team possible. This may involve delegating more responsibilities to your team, taking on fewer tasks, and focusing on the most important tasks. It may also mean bringing in new leaders who can complement your skills and fill in any gaps. By doing this, you can free up your time and energy to focus on the most critical aspects of your role, and set an example for your company to follow.