Sarah Spoja’s Post

Can you say 'No' to being liked? 🐲 I must admit: I like being liked. Who doesn't? 😅 But sometimes, this need has to step back. Only Q' is: How do you get that done? I found a really good reframing for that in a book by Barbara Stanny (details below). “You have to do the hard stuff. That “hard stuff” includes those excruciating stretches such as ending relationships, firing employees, saying no, holding tight during demanding negotiations, enforcing an unpopular policy, dismissing high-paying but difficult clients, even enduring multiple rejections and disappointments." [...] 💡 "The recognition that earning respect is more important than gaining approval was, for many a “watershed moment.” Source: 👉 "Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles" by 🖊 Barbara Stanny (ich hatte es über @kindle] ? Which book(s) have helped you make a mental shift, and which was it? #leadership #mindset #change

The 3 most difficult things to say as a CEO - I'm wrong I apologise Worcestershire sauce ... First two I learnt it within the first year, I still don't know how to say the third ... Jokes aside The takeaway is, apologising doesn't mean loss of authority, which simply means you are brave enough to admit your own faults What I learnt : 1) Don't flex, your muscles would show anyways if you workout enough 2) Tell your team that they have the rights and responsibilities to point out your mistakes in public 3) Create as little hierarchy as possible 4) Ban all politics if you want the business to move fast, whoever stirs things up gets fired first 5) Giving your team shit means giving yourself shit 6) Don't copy other's management style, we're all different. You are only undermining your strength if so #CEO #leadershipgrowth #founders #csuiteleaders

2 rules to give feedback as a CEO that truly matters. 1) Give praise a lot and do it publicly. The more public the better. 2) Give very little criticisms and do it individually. The more secret the better. Do this often.

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐄𝐎-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬? It is usually about the power plays between the CEO and chairman. At the top of the corporate pyramid, you've got the chairman calling the shots. He is like the captain of the ship, steering the board and influencing major decisions. So, when you have a CEO with a supportive Chairman, that's the dream team! With guidance, connections, and a bit of tough love, a good chairman can help a CEO soar to new heights. It's like having a mentor and a cheerleader wrapped into one. But when you get a Chairman who is a bit too hands-on, sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, believing he knows more than the CEO. That's when things get messy. When a chairman starts micromanaging or playing power games, it's like adding fuel to the fire. 10 out of 10, you get a frustrated CEO. At the end of the day, clear communication and mutual respect would be key. With open communication and a willingness to compromise, CEOs and chairmen can still overcome anything. Teamwork makes the dream work. Without these, you will just get board politics! In summary, the corporate world is such that the CEO-chairman dynamic is the ultimate power couple. When you have the right CEO-Chairman dynamic, you get a performing company. The contrary is also true: when the company is not performing, you can be sure that that there is something usually wrong with the duo. Agree? SN: this caricature is created with the help of Google Gemini! #boardofdirectors #ceoinsights #business #management #boardroom

You know that feeling? You're sitting in a board meeting, surrounded by family, and the air is thick with tension. The conversation? Heated. The stakes? High. In private and family businesses, these situations are all too common. I've seen firsthand how conflicts within a family business can derail growth and even threaten the company's very existence. It's understandable - when emotions run high and personal relationships are intertwined with business decisions, the lines can easily blur. But here's the good news: there are ways to navigate these conflicts and come out stronger. Here's what I've seen work: 1. Acknowledge the Elephant in the Room Pretending the conflict doesn't exist won't solve anything. Have an open and honest discussion about the issues at hand. Let everyone have their say, creating a safe space where they feel heard. 2. Focus on the Business, Not the Drama Remember, the goal is to achieve the best outcome for the company's future. Stick to the facts and avoid personal attacks. Try to understand each other's perspectives and find common ground. 3. Establish Clear Roles and Responsibilities Ensure each board member knows their function and limits. This can help prevent misunderstandings and empower individuals to act in their designated roles.  It's not always easy, but a board that can work through conflict effectively can drive significant growth and success. If you are facing similar challenges in your family business, DM me. I'm here to help you create a high-performing board that can navigate any storm. 😊 #directors #leadership #business

This month, I’m sharing advice for leaders on how to avoid five common temptations. The third piece of advice is to Choose Clarity Over Certainty. Do you pride yourself on being intellectually precise? Do you prefer to wait for more information rather than decide without all of the facts? Do you enjoy debating details with your direct reports during meetings? Patrick Lencioni offers this advice: Make clarity more important than accuracy. Remember that your people will learn more if you take decisive action than if you always wait for more information. And if the decisions you make in the spirit of creating clarity turn out to be wrong when more information becomes available, change plans, and explain why. It is your job to risk being wrong. The only real cost to you of being wrong is loss of pride. The cost to your company of not taking the risk of being wrong is paralysis.

#halo_effect #outcome_bias "The CEO of a successful company is likely to be caled flexible, methodical, and decisive. Imagine that a year has passed and things have gone sour. The same executive is now described as confused, rigid, and authoritarian. Both descriptions sound right at the time: it seems almost absurd to call a successful leader rigid and confused, or a struggling leader flexible and methodical. Indeed, the halo effect is so powerful that you probably find yourself resisting the idea that the same person and the same behaviors appear methodical when things are going well and rigid when things are going poorly. Because of the halo effect, we get the causal relationship backward: we are prone to believe that the firm fails because its CEO is rigid, when the truth is that the CEO appears to be rigid because the firm is failing. This is how illusions of understanding are born. " Thinking fast and slow, Daniel Kahneman

I had to fire an executive, and it was one of the hardest decisions I've made as a business owner. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, here is my advice... ➡️ First, understand that if you feel it's time to fire someone, it's probably overdue. The decision is tough, but your responsibility is to the entire team. When an executive isn't aligned with your company’s core values and objectives, it affects everyone. ➡️ Make sure the process is clear and objective. Set definitive goals and expectations well in advance. If you do have to terminate someone, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Every effort should be made to communicate clearly and address issues before they escalate. ➡️ When the time comes, don't make it personal. Stick to the facts and ensure the conversation is respectful. Your role is to uphold the integrity and health of the business because it’s about more than any single person. Everyone will have their opinion on how things should be handled and it’s ok if they don’t agree with you, that’s part of the responsibility of leading. Remember, doing the right thing based on your morals and ethics is crucial, even when it's difficult. It won't make the task easier, but it will affirm that you're making the best decision for the people you serve in the company. #LeadershipChallenges #BusinessDecisions #CompanyCulture #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadershipAdvice

Finance leaders - what is your default reaction when your “hot” buttons are being pushed? 🙋♀️ If only we had a magic button to fix everything, even our reconciliations, right? Earlier this week I spent the morning with a beautiful group of Female Leaders exploring the topic “turning conflict into collaboration”. We started off our session with a self-awareness exercise to see what is their most common Triggers and corresponding default Reactions. As a young leader I initially played it safe. For me that meant not engaging in conflict willingly. I did not want to rock the boat. My pattern was to avoid what I perceived as “painful” experiences, at all cost. Thankfully I came across the book: Emotional agility (Susan Davies), which helped me to understand that I was stunting my own growth and creativity by choosing to stay in my comfort zone. I have personally experienced the positive impact in the quality of my life when I intentionally decided to learn how to deal with conflict resourcefully. I shared some of the most important Skills, Top Tips and Tools for conflict resolution with my group of enthusiastic participants. We know that reflection is a key ingredient for change and improvement. When we know better we do better. I shared a simple methodology of how to apply this for conflict resolution.  First you recall a particular conflict situation that did not go well and ask yourself: 💬Thoughts - what were my thoughts? 💙Feelings - what were my feelings? 🥁Action - how did I react? Next you apply the same methodology to envision how you would have liked to handle it, should this situation occur again in the future: 💬Thoughts - how can I reframe my thoughts about this particular situation? 💙Feelings - how can I choose to feel about this particular situation?  🥁Action - how can I professionally respond to this situation in the future? Finance leaders : please share with us your top tip to STAY CALM and RESPOND instead of REACT, when your hot buttons are being pushed? 👇🏻 #Selfmastery #Selfawareness #energisedleaders #conflictresolution 

One of the books we recommend most often to Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff is Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott. Truly, it is a book that any leader who wants to achieve results through others should read. So, what is a fierce conversation? It’s a conversation where you are present, authentic, and engaging in real dialogue. You get to the heart of the matter, ask questions, listen, are enriching the relationship, and leave the conversation with more clarity or a different perspective. The goal of a fierce conversation is to interrogate reality, provoke learning, tackle tough challenges, and enrich relationships. Sounds like something we all should know more about! On the blog, we discuss the seven key principles of Fierce Conversations and how they specifically apply to Force Multipliers. Head to the link in the comments to read the full breakdown! #forcemultiplier #fierceconversations #executiveassistant #chiefofstaff