As a CEO, you hold a very important position with a lot of power over many people. Whether you work for a small company or large corporation, the business decisions you make impact all your employees. To be the best CEO possible, one your staff admires as a leader, start incorporating the below practices.
Prioritize Your Health
In order to be a strong leader for your company, you need to prioritize your health. If you do not take care of yourself, your health is going to suffer and you will lose focus when it comes to making the best decisions for your company and employees. Therefore, you need to take care of yourself to be the best leader for your teams.
Eat a balanced diet on a regular basis. Obviously, you can splurge here and there but you do not want that to be the norm. If you are consistently eating a bad diet, this will impact your health and your ability to focus. Include supplements in your diet as well, such as vitamins, protein shakes or a hormone balance supplement for women.
Also, exercise a few times a week. With a hectic schedule, you might have to be a little more creative with your exercise versus a simple gym membership. Find workout videos that you can take with you when traveling, go for a run outside or stay at hotels with a well-stocked gym.
Open Door Policy
Keeping communication flowing between you and your teams is the best way to stay in the loop about the happenings of your company and ensure any concerns, questions or potential issues are addressed promptly. While you cannot literally have your office door open for any and every employee to walk through, you want your direct reports and your company leaders to be comfortable coming to you should they have a situation they need to address. Similarly, you want your team leaders to have an open-door policy for their staff members as well.
Remind your employees on a regular basis that you and the managers are available should they need to discuss anything. Mention it in emails, include it in newsletters and remind them at company meetings. Ultimately, make sure they are comfortable coming to you and other leaders with any concerns, and follow through on any takeaways from these discussions.
Comprehensive Benefits Package
A few decades ago, an employee’s benefits package included medical, dental and vision. Nowadays, many companies are expanding those offerings to better support staff members. Make sure your company is offering employees a comprehensive benefits package. For one, a good benefits package is often the ultimate reason an interviewee decides to choose a company, so you want to ensure your package is enticing. More importantly, diverse benefits provide your employees with a better work-life balance.
There are a variety of options you can include. Consider adding a gym stipend to encourage employees to prioritize their physical health. As mental health is equally as important, offer mental health options in your package, such as counseling sessions with a therapist. A daycare stipend is another excellent option. While some working parents have a close relative who watches the children for free, most parents have to pay for daycare, which can be very expensive, especially if they have multiple children. Anything your company can do to contribute to that cost will be appreciated. Finally, offer a robust amount of PTO, or consider offering unlimited PTO. While conditions will need to be set, knowing they have PTO to use whenever it is needed is a great way to assist your employees and encourage a work-life balance.
No matter the size of your company, the choices you make as CEO impact not only your consumers but the everyday lives of your staff. You want to be someone your employees look up to and support. Incorporating the above practices will help you be the best leader for your business.
