“I’m not sure I’m the right person to run this company.”
As I started the EOS® process with a marketing agency, the CEO told his leadership team that he wasn’t sure that he was the right person to run the business. He gave everyone full permission to speak up at any time during their exercise if they thought he wasn’t the right person.
It was clear that he was anxious. He wanted to do the right thing for the team and the business, and he didn’t want any elephants in the room.
This CEO was unusual—not because of his doubts, but because of his honesty.
It’s not at all unusual for business leaders to feel unqualified for their roles, and they often deal with fears of being found out as incompentent. It’s known as the impostor syndrome, and it’s the biggest fear CEOs face. But most leaders suffer silently, afraid to admit their anxieties.
Should You Step Down?
If you’re worried that you’re not the right person to run your business, you’re partly right. No CEO should be THE person to run a company, because it takes two specific individuals with unique roles to effectively run a successful business.
It takes a Visionary and an Integrator to run a company. When these two individuals come together, it’s like rocket fuel for the organization—and the company is often propelled to new heights as a result.
Every company needs a Visionary and an Integrator. They’re like two halves of a coin—and your company won’t operate at its full potential with only one half of the combination. Here’s a sample of what the Visionary and Integrator roles typically look like.
Visionaries are typically great at:
- Generating new ideas, research and development
- Creative problem-solving
- Creating big relationships
- Nurturing culture
- Selling big deals
Integrators are great at:
- Leading, managing, and accountability
- Executing the business plan
- Integrating major functions
- Resolving cross-functional issues
- Communicating throughout the organization
Freedom NOT to Run Your Business
As we progressed through the exercise, we discovered that the CEO was a Visionary. Someone else on the team stepped up to be the Integrator. The duo turned out to be a terrific Yin and Yang for each other. The Integrator was great at holding the Visionary accountable and helping him to do what he loves to do. Even though he’s the Visionary, he’s not the one who has to run the business – the Integrator does that.
They’re very disciplined about staying on the same page as they continue to move things forward. They have a tremendous amount of clarity in their areas, and they can each invest into their natural abilities where they’re more gifted.
Once they crystallized the two roles, the CEO was relieved not to run the company—he gets to motivate employees and direct the culture of the company as Visionary and CEO. His role is freeing, and the benefits have rippled out to the leadership team, and to the entire company. They’re solving a lot of issues and moving forward as a company with clarity throughout the agency.
Are you the right person to run your company? If you’re trying to do it all yourself, you’re not. But when Visionaries and Integrators team up together, the combination can transform your business!
Next Steps
- Find out more about this unique partnership of Visionary and Integrator — download a free chapter of Rocket Fuel.
- Download a free chapter of What the Heck is EOS?
- Order What The Heck Is EOS? for every employee in your company. Save 50% off the retail price when you order 20+ hardcover copies of the book from our publisher.
This post originally appeared on the GPS For Small Business Blog on June 21, 2017.
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