THREAD: It's six months since I became CEO @Mentortweets - it's been the most amazing, rewarding, terrifying and downright knackering period of my life. Here are my 12 reflections (on leadership rather than drugs and alcohol) from the last half year.
1. Read the first 90 days and make a plan. But if the scenario is different to what you thought it would be then don't be afraid to dump it and create a new one.
2. Trust your gut. But don't let it close you to alternative views and ideas. It can be really hard when you're feeling overwhelmed (and I've spent a lot of my first six months feeling overwhelmed!) but remember the skills that got you appointed in the first place and back them.
3. Take the time to get to know the people you work with. It sounds obvious but, with so much on your plate it is easy to forget to invest time in understanding what makes your colleagues tick. I know because I haven't done enough of it.
4. A wise friend asked me before I started 'What's the caricature you want your staff to see?' It was a reminder that you can't be everywhere all the time and many staff just see a series of snap-shots of you. Given that, what image do you want them to take away?
5. Make decisions. Did I mention that I've spent a lot of time feeling overwhelmed? It can be paralysing unless you recognise it and deal with it. Look at the data. Listen to views. Make a call and move on. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
6. Don't dodge the big stuff. It can be easy to focus on the little things - to manage rather than lead - but ticking things off a list isn't the same as being effective. Focus on the stuff that really matters and don't let yourself get moved off it.
7. Recognise the impact your actions have on others. If you are in the office 14 hours a day, too busy to eat or chat, emailing at midnight etc - then others will follow suit. If that's the org. you want to lead then fine - but don't be surprised when people leave/fall-over.
8. It's OK to be vulnerable. If you're having a shit day it's OK to acknowledge it. Your team, if they're like mine, will support you - and you give them permission to be able to do the same. The more honest we are about our mental health the healthier we will all be.
9. Trust your team. If you doubt this, give it a try - I promise they are more amazing than you give them credit for. And if they're not, then at least you know and you can deal with it.
10. It can be lonely being in charge - something I hugely underestimated. Build yourself a network of other CEOs and leaders and don't be afraid to use them. If you're in the charity world then @ACEVO is a brilliant place to start.
11. Be kind to yourself. Listen to your head and body - they know. Take a walk. Read a newspaper. Drink great coffee/wine/Tea. EXERCISE (the caps are for my benefit). Do something, anything that gives you joy. Do it regularly and recognise it isn't shirking, it is essential.
12. Love what you do. I feel so incredibly privileged to be CEO @Mentortweets Even on the bad days I wouldn't change it for the world. Every night when I go to bed I remind myself of how lucky I am to have this opportunity to help make the world a little bit better.
And that's it. Congrats if you got this far, I hope you found it helpful! Have a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to chatting in 2019 x
