7 Ways CEOs Differ from Entrepreneurs

CEO Mindset Matters

CEOs differ from the rest of us.

Have you ever thought about why this is?

The reason a CEO can lead a large company is that they possess certain skills, traits, and mindset qualities that are hard to find in most people.

However, if you can cultivate these 7 traits in yourself, it can benefit all areas of your business and life, even if you’re not the leader of a big enterprise.


1. CEOs Possess Vision

A CEO sees the world in a way the rest of us don’t.

They can imagine a better future and communicate this vision to others.

This is how they can steer their company so that it grows and achieves this future vision.

This vision doesn’t just lead the company but also provides inspiration for other members of the organization.


2. CEOs Have Inner Strength

CEOs are tough.

They can handle criticism and failures with composure.

If you have total power over a company, your decisions make a tremendous impact.

With this power comes the envy of others for whom it’s easy to sit on the sidelines and criticise.

Inner toughness provides a CEO with the confidence to make decisions without hesitation.

This toughness also helps them handle criticism with grace.


3. CEOs are Eager to Learn

Leaders are eager to learn about anything and everything.

They have an insatiable curiosity which drives them on.

This is why CEOs are able to pull together information from anywhere and make decisions based on deep knowledge.

They know their business, their customers, competitors and the market.

Leading a company also requires a great deal of learning through trial and error.

CEOs make mistakes along the way.

So will you.

It’s important to view each failure as a valuable opportunity for learning.

In science, and marketing, failure is just a test that didn’t work.

Learn from the result and try again.


4. CEOs Have Excellent Communication Skills

It requires great communication skills to lead, inspire, and direct others.

Gain the ability to communicate your ideas and vision, but also the ability to listen to others and understand their intention.

Even when they don’t tell you directly.

The CEO is the facilitator in their organisation.

They enable all the different departments to communicate effectively with each other.


5. CEOs See The Big Picture View

At the top of their organisation, the CEO sees things with a ‘big picture’ view.

Knowledge of the details is important too, but the CEO is the only person in the company seeing everything from above.

While each responsible party takes care of their own tasks and the minute details, the CEO keeps their eye on how it all fits together.

This top-down view is the best way to make key decisions which affect the whole organisation.


6. CEOs are Quick and Decisive

CEOs are quick and decisive when it comes to making key decisions.

They can do this because they know what’s going on now, have years of accumulated experience, and a clear vision of the future.

Another reason is that they think strategically, considering each possible outcome before passing judgment.


7. CEOs Have Passion

CEOs are passionate about their business.

What ties everything together is that they love what they do.

This is what keeps them motivated and inspired.

The passion drives them to put in the work needed to make their business succeed.

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Written by 

Co-Founder & CEO of Link Management Group. An Investor & Coach to Small Business Owners, for the past 30 years I have helped startup and early-stage businesses to enter new markets and achieve sustainable growth of both revenue and profits. I have experience across a diverse range of sectors including central government, information services, software, health insurance, pet products, couture fashion, entertainment and aviation.  How can I help your organisation accelerate growth and achieve its full potential? 

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