11 Shortcuts to Becoming a CEO

Today we have a guest post from fellow Work-Faith blogger Leon De Rijke. Leon is Dutch, which I think means he’s from Holland or Amsterdam, or one of those quaint European countries. In any case, his introduction here speaks to the tremendous international reach of my Blog, which is my main concern. Plus, Leon has got some great ideas on how we can do a better job of integrating our faith into our work!

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 So, you want to become a CEO?

I’ve got 11 real fast tips and tricks you can work out today in order to get your seat in the boardroom.

Okay, here we go:

1. Give a cake to someone who got promoted instead of you.
2. Put all your promises on your to-do list and don’t leave before you’ve met them all.
3. Buy really beautiful flowers for your team member’s birthday instead of a gift card.
4. Put a little encouraging note in someone’s drawer.
5. Work late for an hour to listen to your colleague who lost his father recently (or fill in an other bad situation).
6. Solve a conflict by acknowledging your own fault (regardless the faults of the other).
7. Give everyone you run into a well-meant compliment.
8. Don’t call your ill colleague, but visit him/her instead. Peel the apple from the fruit basket you brought. (Bonus points if you peel the orange too).
9. Approve every project proposal without reading it, return it and say: “Go for it!”
10. Call your largest competitor and congratulate them with that big assignment they won and you lost. (Bonus points if you call them after a month again to check if things work out)
11. Give each team member a sponsored child (Compassion/World Vision), and teach them how to write a letter to them. Don’t publish a press release for this.

You won’t be able to do all eleven today. But try one or two. You’ll see how quickly you become great in encouraging people and empowering them to encourage others.

You’ll see how quickly you will be seen as the Chief Encouragement Officer.

So, which ones are you going to do today? Do you have ideas for any other shortcuts  into the boardroom?

Leon de Rijke is a Dutch blogger, trainer and coach and helps people to connect their faith with their work. You can find more about his blog on faith at work and marketplace ministry here.