You're Not a CEO (Stop Lying to Yourself) [TMR #056]
Ever watch those "Day in the Life of a CEO" reels?
Pure fiction.
I just spent 3 hours with a "CEO" who couldn't tell me his monthly revenue. But his Instagram? Pristine. Complete with motivational quotes and laptop-by-the-pool shots.
This is what most "CEOs" look like:
You're wearing 17 different hats
Your inbox is a war zone
Your team doesn't know what's priority
...Drowning in operations
Now I want you to think about the title... Chief EXECUTIVE Officer.
Notice that middle word? EXECUTIVE. As in EXECUTE.
You're not executing. You're surviving.
I see it every day in my agency coaching calls. "CEOs" who:
Can't name their top 3 revenue sources
Haven't looked at their P&L in months
Are still doing $12/hour tasks
Don't have a clear 90-day plan
Amazon's Jeff Bezos spent 30% of his time in "CEO mode" during Amazon's early days [1]. The rest? He was a glorified customer service rep and warehouse manager.
But here's what made him different:
He knew exactly which hat he was wearing at any given moment.
Want to earn that CEO title? Do this:
List every role you currently play
Track your time for one week
Calculate the hourly rate of each activity
Delegate anything below your target rate
I did this exercise in 2019.
Realized I was spending 60% of my time on $X/hour tasks while ignoring $XXXX/hour opportunities.
Painful? Yes.
Necessary? Absolutely.
The truth hurts, but delusion costs more.
Your move.
P.S. If this hit too close to home, you're probably ready for real growth. Reply and let me know your thoughts!
Sources:
[1] "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon" - Brad Stone, 2013
[2] Harvard Business Review - "How CEOs Manage Time" Study, 2023