Navigate Your Organization to New Heights with This 18-Question Checklist

Direction-setting checklist: Be bold

A great vision is not just about raising aspiration levels but reframing the very definition of success. At Mastercard, under Ajay Banga, the vision was to wage a "war on cash" as 85 percent of global retail transactions were cash-based. At Adobe, Shantanu Narayen helped the company see that success was about powering the world's best digital creativity. Imagine if Reed Hastings' vision at Netflix had been "to be the number-one DVD company in America" instead of focusing on becoming a "global entertainment distribution company." The best CEOs ensure their colleagues own these expanded visions.

The best CEOs also focus on a bold short list of big strategic moves during their tenure. For example, at Banco Itaú Unibanco, Roberto Setúbal's moves included shifting from retail only to leading in corporate and investment banking, expanding into other Latin American countries, and prioritizing digitization. Satya Nadella's short list at Microsoft was clear: double investment in the cloud, change the software business model, and invest in productivity and services acquisitions.

Resource allocation checklist: Think like an outsider

The highest-performing companies shift more than 60 percent of their capital expenditure. Intel's Andy Grove and Gordon Moore famously did so in the 1980s when the company's share price was falling. Grove asked Moore what a new CEO would do, and they decided to get out of memory chips. Marillyn Hewson at Lockheed Martin regularly reviews investment plans and focuses on key areas. Investing more in one area means investing less in another, but it's essential for success.

At Intuit, Brad Smith builds flexibility into the organization's design. The stable elements are organized around customer segments, while agile elements are assigned to teams for faster decision-making. Such a balance is crucial for high performance.

Organizational-alignment checklist: Treat the soft stuff as the hard stuff

Winning CEOs focus on one or two big cultural shifts. Paul O'Neill at Alcoa created a safety culture, and Microsoft's Satya Nadella emphasized a growth mindset. Santander's Anna Botín wants her employees to approach customers with "simple, personal, and fair."

Excellent CEOs build "stagility" into their organization's design. Intuit's Brad Smith has stable elements organized around customers and agile elements for faster strategic decisions. Google's Sundar Pichai assigns teams to bypass approvals and move faster.

Leadership mobilization checklist: Solve for the team's psychology

A senior team becomes effective when members' skills are complementary. Lilach Asher-Topilsky at IDB replaced half of her top team to ensure they understood the joint mission. In team meetings, the best CEOs demand data, dialogue, and speed. Doug Baker at Ecolab focuses the team on big things, and DBS Group's Piyush Gupta uses the MOJO technique.

Operating rhythm is also crucial. Flemming Ørnskov at Galderma believes a clear organizational rhythm makes teams more efficient. Most high-performing CEOs hold weekly check-ins, monthly meetings, and off-site meetings. Such reviews should be detailed and not just flybys.

Board engagement checklist: Help directors help the business

Great CEOs build trust with their boards through transparency. Former Cadence Design Systems CEO Lip-Bu Tan explains how it makes things easier. TIAA's Roger Ferguson describes "radical transparency." Thermo Fisher Scientific's Marc Casper starts every board meeting with an executive session to create a transparent culture.

The best CEOs ensure the board composition reflects the organization's direction. Intuit's Brad Smith uses a capability matrix, and at Wolters Kluwer, Nancy McKinstry reshaped the board. Beyond composition, the CEO should educate directors. Netflix's Reed Hastings emphasizes this. Board meetings should be well-prepped and focused on the future.

External-stakeholder-connection checklist: Start with ‘Why?’

The best CEOs see their company's purpose as fundamental to performance. Lockheed Martin employees know they're helping global security. At Best Buy, former CEO Hubert Joly found new growth opportunities by testing the strategy against the purpose.

Understanding stakeholders' "why" is critical. Netflix's Reed Hastings gives an example with the press. Galderma's Flemming Ørnskov got ideas from doctors. Dupont's Ed Breen values activist investors' ideas. The best leaders prioritize external stakeholder time.

Personal-effectiveness checklist: Do what only you can do

Legendary executive coach Bill Campbell said the CEO role is always bigger than you. The best CEOs prioritize critical issues and delegate tasks. They master compartmentalization to avoid energy troughs. A strong office staff is essential, as Intuit's Brad Smith learned.

The best CEOs are aware of the difference between doing and being. They adjust their leadership style to meet the organization's needs. For example, dsm-firmenich's Feike Sijbesma received feedback and improved.

The best CEOs approach their position with humility. They focus on helping others succeed and continuously improve. They work with coaches, read, attend conferences, and have trusted confidants. U.S. Bancorp's Richard Davis emphasizes the importance of humility.

All the CEOs who have used this checklist have found it valuable. The highest-performing CEOs also ask for honest feedback to gain maximum insight. By following these checklists, CEOs can navigate any environment successfully.

Being a CEO requires as much intuition as instruction. Judgment and creativity are important, but systematic checklists ensure no critical details are missed. By doing so, CEOs can fly even higher.

Download the checklist here.

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