Enough of the Celebrity CEOs

You’ve studied Jobs, Gates, and Musk.

Their stories are compelling. Their decisions are instructive. And yes, they changed the world.

But their stories won’t make you a sharper CEO. And at some level, you already know that.

Biographies are inspiring. But we all have to write our own opus. 

“Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.”

-Oscar Wilde

I have deep admiration and respect for CEOs, particularly the unsung heroes who put everything on the line and battle it out, day after day after day. I’m inspired by the wonderful stories that David Senra so masterfully profiles on his Founders podcast. But even more so by the countless CEOs who serve as role models for their constituents.

Frank was a client of mine for several years. He owned a lighting store. His showroom glittered with everything from custom fixtures to table lamps. He wasn’t exactly changing the world. But he was improving his customers' lives by designing and providing lighting options that literally and figuratively “lit up their lives.” He served as a role model for his employees in the art of doing “what was right.” He worked long hours to put his three daughters through college and graduate school. 

Frank and I could only meet around 9 pm, after he had closed his showroom and the employees had gone home. That’s when we would dig into the financials, talk about what to say to the bankers who were about to foreclose, and how to deal with a competitor that had poached one of his prized lines for whom he had worked so hard to build market demand. It was tough. It wasn’t glamorous, and no one will write a biography about him.

But he made a difference. He showed up and did his best. 

Maybe his story is resonating with you because it hits home a little bit. Because deep down, it’s really hard, isn’t it? And it’s not always about improving those numbers the bankers love so much, year after year. It’s about serving a greater calling. It’s about building a remarkable company. And remarkable doesn’t have to mean you’re Jensen Huang, Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, or anybody else the leadership pundits worship. It’s about the difference you make in the lives of those who work for you, the customers you serve, and the lives you make better because of the work you do. Those to whom you have committed your life. 

Yes, be yourself. But also know yourself, as Socrates encouraged us. In the process, practice the art of being a CEO today, tomorrow, and the day after. Sharpen your CEO Mental Fitness by setting the biographies aside for a bit and thinking about your own thinking. Thinking is hard. It’s lonely. It’s so tempting to check email, return a phone call, or worse, ask AI what to do. 

Spend an hour thinking, no matter how hard it is.

#ceomentalfitness #ceo #ceocoach #thinking #davidsenra