Over the last few weeks I made it a point to collaborate with several trusted advisors and CEO friends about what they are seeing and what they expect in 2022.
One of the CEOs that I collaborate with is Paul E. Berman of id8 Strategies LLC. We talked about business owners struggling to fill the top of the funnel with qualified prospects; yet, didn’t follow through with 2021 plans to step up marketing. His concluding comment was something to the effect of CEOs having too many options instead of focusing on quality and its freaking human nature to put things off when uncertain.
A few days later I corresponded with Janet. She happens to be in Australia and is the founder of the 5th Door. I think of her work as leadership development by friending the shadows that cause us to get stuck and to help leaders know what they really want. Janet and I collaborated about a relatable client who was feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders to get the right answers and inspire his employees to do their best work.
At the same time that I am having these conversations, I am working with my Growth CFO Solution Leads, John Redmond and Jose Villarino, to figure out how we will help CEOs even more going into 2022.
As we reflected on the last few quarters, we had examples that included a clear flight plan and found money for clients where the follow through hasn’t been strong. For every $250,000 increase in profit the value of the business is increased by another $1,500,000. Seems worthwhile, yet follow through stall points are too common.
A common thread seems to be that many CEOs are overloaded with options, thus are not clear or confident in the right choice for them. Not a single person wants to bet the farm on a path that “looked” good.
To combat this, our Growth CFOs work side by side with CEOs like navigators work side by side with pilots. We focus on the five obstacles to growth, establish the financial infrastructure to protect clients from downside, and develop managers to proactively use the numbers to gain clarity.
Since Smart CEO Questions are the answers, what causes you not to follow through?