What a CEO does

A good CEO spends most of his or her time thinking, analysing, and designing. Not running things. Not making a hundred little decisions. Not putting out fires. Not schmoozing with customers. Not playing politics.

The CEO’s main job is to design and establish an organisational machine that always achieves the goals of the company.

This includes designing systems that work all the time and rarely fail to deliver. This includes finding and developing the right people. People who don’t have to be constantly supervised, monitored, or motivated. It includes designing work processes that don't have to constantly be fixed. It includes designing work processes that normal people can operate without super-human efforts and major stress. The word for all this is robust. Robust means the systems can take challenges and not break or fail to achieve goals.

The CEO must be ever alert for problems and opportunities. There are always a few problems coming at the corporation that will seriously challenge its ability to survive. A good CEO sees them very early. Earlier than everyone else. He already has the strategy and fixes in place before they arrive. The good CEO also sees those very few opportunities that will make or break the company over the long haul. Again, the good CEO sees them earlier than everyone else. He capitalizes on them quickly and decisively.

A good CEO can sometimes make a single decision in his or her career that decides the fate of a company for the next ten years. They can make a single decision whose economic impact can pay their salary forever. I have done it on more than one occasion.

What a CEO should do is handle strategic issues. These are things that are unknown to the average worker.

A good CEO must also have a deep understanding of what business the company is in and insure that the business strategy does not drift or creep away from the core business.

Rediscover Your Purpose In 15 Days: What You Need To Know

Day 1: Define purpose On average, people spend 90,000 hours on the job over the course of their lives. So it’s no wonder that nine in 10 workers would take a pay cut if it meant having the opportunity to participate in more purposeful work. But what is “purpose,” and do we really have to have it? Day 2: Establish what you have Before you can rediscover your purpose, you should identify your passions, your talents and what you have: a job, a career or a calling. One isn’t better than another, but it’s important to know which one you have and which one you want. Day 3: Remember what drives you Now that you’ve established what you have and what you want, it’s time to sit back and reflect on the last time you felt a sense of purpose and when you lost it. By looking at yourself from a different perspective, you’ll be able to do just that. Day 4: Put purpose in perspective Are you setting the bar too high when it comes to finding purpose at work? Learn how many meaningful moments people actually need, according to research, in order to love their work—and their lives. Day 5: Take stock of your days If meaning is found in particular moments, you should account for how you’re spending yours. Grab a pencil and paper and get ready to sketch out your typical day through these three exercises, meant to reveal the times you’re most likely to rediscover your purpose. Day 6: Understand how you fit This may sound like a simple matter, one that can be resolved by reviewing an organizational chart, but understanding how you fit in your organization is about much more than knowing to whom everyone reports. To truly gain insight into how you fit in, you should have a conversation with your manager. Day 7: Craft your tasks You don’t have to change jobs to rediscover your purpose—in fact, sometimes all it takes is a little redesign. This is your guide to the first phase of job crafting: task crafting. Day 8: Invest in your career At a time when the skills you need to succeed change more quickly than you can update your resume, career development is an absolute must. But investing in your professional growth is about much more than making yourself marketable—it’s something you do for you and can help you find fulfillment at work. Day 9: Craft your relationships A relationship strategy is probably not an explicit part of your career development plan, but it should be. Learn how to create one and how to align your daily interactions with your purpose. Day 10: Find your balance When you take care of yourself outside the office, you lay the foundation for your career to thrive in the long term. Here are a few simple strategies anyone can utilize to create a better work-life balance. Day 11: Craft your perceptions You can do all the task and relationship crafting you want, but if you don’t do the same with your perceptions, you’re not going to get all that far. Perception crafting is all about changing the way you think about your job and about when and how you experience meaning at work. Day 12: Connect with something bigger When just four in 10 employees say the mission of their company makes them feel as though their job matters, it’s no wonder so many people spend their days questioning their role in the bigger picture. The good news is that you can take steps toward bridging this gap. Day 13: Look outside the office If you’re struggling to rediscover your purpose inside the office, why not look outside? No, that doesn’t necessarily mean a job search is in order—volunteer work or even a side project you’re passionate about should do the trick. Day 14: Learn how to say what you want At a time when employee turnover costs companies upwards of $600 billion annually, chances are that your boss would rather make a few adjustments to your role than risk losing you and affecting the company’s bottom line. The key is to take everything you’ve learned about what drives you and present your redesigned role to your manager in a way that will benefit both you and the business. Day 15: Embrace the journey You’ve defined purpose, taken stock of your days and crafted every aspect of your job. But it’s likely that what you consider to be fulfilling today will change over the course of your life. Whether or not you’ve been reminded of the “why” behind your work, embrace the journey.

Dark lessons that life will show you

1. From ages 7 to 17, it's all anticipation; from 17 to 27, it's all heartache and regret.
2. The walls of a hospital have listened to more devotional prayers than a place of religion.
3. I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the sun.
4. Not all wrongs can be forgiven, yet not all hurts can be healed, and there is always something that time can do nothing about it.
5. An outlier is either a beast or a god.
6. Not everyone who falls to their knees can get up right away, but at least they can try not to get down.
7. What is so physiologically irrational about humans? People can have the sexual desire to the ones whom they don’t have emotionally attached to.
8. Who you can forgive bottomlessly is someone who can hurt you bottomlessly.
9. The scariest thing in the world is that people who are better than you work harder than you.
10. Fortunate people are healed by childhood all the time, while unfortunate people are healing their childhood all the time.

Which 10 things we should never do?

1. A corporate leader once told me, “Never write anything in a company-related email that you wouldn’t want published on the front page of the newspaper”
2. Don’t hurt anyone. Just don’t. Physically or emotionally or mentally. I don’t care what they did to you. (Unless it’s self defence assault)
3. Don’t hurt yourself. Don’t think thoughts that feel horrible, stay away from people who make you feel small and please for the love of God—take care of your health and don’t kill yourself. You are worth the world.
4. Even if it’s just a mile away, do not even consider driving with alcohol in your system.
5. If you own a business or work with finances, keep your paperwork clean. Fraud and deceit may look tempting but they’re also fast tracks to jail.
6. Get married, have kids AFTER you get over your addictions. Heal yourself completely. Nobody needs your crap.
7. My mother said to me, “When it comes to situations outside the family, there are 3 people you must never ever lie to— your teacher, your doctor, and your lawyer.”
8. I’ve said this before in an answer and I’ll say it again, do NOT pee in that toilet you see in your dream.
9. I cannot constitutionally tell you to NEVER do this because you have rights— but please think twice or thrice or a million times before bringing your conservative signs and protests to abortion clinics or LGBT rallies. People have different ideas about how they want to live, and also you look like jokers when you stand outside in the freezing cold shouting psalms into a microphone. All religions, at the core, promulgate love and acceptance.
10. Never ever ever ever ever hurt a dog.

Hustle NOW

When we think about setting big goals, we almost instantly doubt ourselves about achieving them…

As soon as the initial excitement about the prospect of a better future fads, the internal voice kicks in and attempts to self sabotage us --- before we even begin.

There are three ways you can respond to this:

1. You can say it’s impossible, and give up.

This is most people.

2. You can tell yourself you’re not ready, and procrastinate…

The most common form of procrastination is learning.

You just go from article to article, book to book, podcast to podcast, and course to course --- learning a ton, but never taking action.

Chances are --- you don’t need any more information – you need execution.

Winners figure things out on the fly.

3. You can get started; set deadlines, and pursue your dreams.

Tomorrow is for losers…

Tomorrow always turns into next week, next month, next year, and ultimately…

You reach the end of your life, and ask yourself  “what if…”

If something is important to you, and you’re tired of avoiding what you know is your higher calling.

If you’re not satisfied with how your life is…

You should get started right now.

You should understand there is never a perfect time.

And you should know that you’ll be able to figure things out and overcome any obstacle that comes your way.

But it’s important that you do one simple thing:

Just start,

Go all in.

True growth happens outside of the comfort zone, when retreat is impossible.

Head to the island, and burn your boat.

You are now in a situation where you must overcome obstacles or go under

Your energy levels rise appropriately.

When you are fully invested and responsible for the outcome, you stop wasting time…

You find a work ethic you never knew you had…

And not only that….

You become happier and more creative as a result.

Everything you do in life suddenly becomes relevant to the goal you are after, and opportunities will emerge all around you.

Sure, you’ll struggle like hell, and face some tough times.

Everyone who has achieved something great has.

But through this struggle, you will forge your character, and discover abilities you never knew you had.

You need to trust in your ability to learn , overcome obstacles, and accomplish goals.

You need to believe in yourself, and have a genuine trust that things will work out.

When you put yourself on the line, when you’re “all in”, you will be passionate about your mission.

And you’ll gain the attention of those around you.

People are naturally drawn to those who act boldly, take risks, and move towards their vision.

Being the leader of your life and vision will make you feel “in control”, and will take your confidence to levels you’ve never felt before --- which will help you make more ambitious moves.

You’re no longer letting “life happen to you” --- you’re taking control and making things happen.

But remember…

You must get started.

NOW

15 steps

Day 1: Establish your “why” So you think you’re ready for a promotion? To be sure you’re pursuing it for the right reasons, ask yourself these three questions. Day 2: Define your dream scenario The key to achieving your dream promotion might just lie in your ability to embrace change. Keep these six lessons in mind as you prepare for your next role. Day 3: Identify the opportunities Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the only options are those right in front of your nose. Here are seven ways to find promotion opportunities, no matter where you work. Day 4: Consider the timing You may be ready for a promotion, but is your company? Before you make the ask, consider the timing and how you can use it to your advantage. Day 5: Ask for more responsibility A surefire way to prove you’re ready to take the next step in your career is to ask for more responsibility. The key is to do it in a way that sets you up for success. Day 6: Plant the seed Now that you’ve proven you’re up for bigger and better challenges, start dropping hints that you’re not just capable of handling more, but that you’re interested too. Day 7: Secure a sponsor Mentors are a must-have in today’s world of work, but when it comes to getting promoted, you need a sponsor: someone who only knows your strengths and will vouch for you when it's decision-making time. Day 8: Reskill and upskill Getting promotion-ready doesn’t just mean checking off boxes of past accomplishments. Commit to developing your skill set so this promotion is the first of more to come. Day 9: Address your shortcomings Everyone has at least one weakness—do you know yours? Identify and address it before it keeps you from reaching your goal. Day 10: Avoid the "Peter Principle" This is the idea that all employees rise through the ranks until they reach their respective levels of incompetence. Is it possible to break free from this model? Day 11: Learn how to say what you want Some conversations can be had with little to no preparation—the promotion conversation is not one of them. Take these steps to ensure that your ask is as compelling as possible. Day 12: Present your case Remember when you established your “why”? Well, now you’re going to have to sell your boss on it. Prepare to explain exactly why you are the perfect person for the promotion. Day 13: Keep the conversation going If only asking for a promotion were as simple as just asking. Here are five ways to keep the conversation flowing. Day 14: Assess the offer If you're made an offer, it may be tempting to accept right away. But before you say "yes," assess it thoroughly. Day 15: Evaluate your options Sometimes, going above and beyond just isn’t enough. Whether or not a promotion ends up being in the cards, keep calm and evaluate your options.