Mantra for success: Think like a CEO, plan like a visionary, and act like Buddha

1. Think like a CEO: Leadership

Wearing the commercially strategic hat. Think FACTS and stats.

What are the facts? Omit the emotion and think on a strategic level. Commercial decisions–for example hiring new staff, planning marketing campaigns, partner alliances or thinking about whether or not to attend a conference–all impact your bottom line.

You need to consider the following:

• What’s the return on investment?
• Does it fit with the overall brand and company strategy?
• Will this action lead the business closer to its goals?

Approach daily decisions with commercial and brand positioning reality, and ask yourself: If this was your money how would you spend it?

2. Plan like a visionary: Creativity

Shed the blinkers and think big; what’s possible?

All companies and commercial operations need a plan, a vision, a why, and a way forward.

Planning like a visionary allows you to step outside of traditional business constraints of the now, and start dreaming. It helps to consider where certain decisions you make now could take you.

• What are the forks in the road and the options ahead?
• Is there a common shared goal or time for a bigger picture perspective? Can you avoid panic and the need for reactionary steps?
• Do you have the right team around you? what resources and connections do you need to be moving forward?
• In the big scheme of things is this issue you are dealing with relevant or relative?

A vision creates the culture of your organisation and the messages that resonate with your customers; it brings to life the individuals behind the brand or products you offer. Vision is essential for sustainability, growth and development.

Therefore, you need to schedule in time for inspiration and future planning, and if you’re thinking on your feet, then pause to consider the implications of the decisions you’re about to make.

Being able to sustain your business’s vision during times of adversity is essential. It doesn’t mean throwing money at a problem, rather, it’s about having the right mindset.

3. Act like Buddha: Clarity and calm

You can be fast but you need to be clear.

The best decisions we make are based on the first thoughts that we have when we ask ourselves a question. It goes beyond intuition as it requires us to be aware and create ‘space’ around our inner voice.

• ‘Tuning in’ to your inner voice is finding the right station and getting rid of the static. Static, in this metaphor, is all of the distracting noise provided by your subconscious. Most peopled don’t create the space to think with true clarity, and instead make decisions in the spur of the moment. Space allows you the time to check in with yourself before you respond.
• Pause and say, ‘I’ll get back to you, or give me 5 minutes’. Don’t respond to emails straight away, rather, walk away from the computer and change your mental environment. Breathe and listen to your intuition before you respond. Consider points 1 and 2: what are the facts? And how does this decision impact upon the bigger picture?
• Remember that nothing is so urgent that you can’t take 2 minutes to pause and hit reboot.