You will never get ahead of the other 99% of CEOs if you don’t do these three things I’m about to share in this post.
Hi, my name is Glenn Gow, The Scaling CEO Coach, and there are three things that separate top-performing CEOs from everyone else. Master these, and you’ll put yourself ahead of 99% of your peers.
Define What Your Company is Here to Do
The first is clarity. You need to clearly define what your company is here to do. That means articulating your vision, your mission, and your long-term goals—what you want to become over time.
You may even build a rough multi-year plan:
- When will you release new products?
- When will you achieve product-market fit?
- When will you enter new markets?
Then, bring that long-term thinking down to a 90-day window using a management framework. It doesn’t matter which one you choose—what matters is that you use one.
My personal favorite is OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). It allows you to define short-term objectives and get very specific about what success looks like—what needs to be accomplished in the next 90 days, and who owns it.
When people sign up for key results, you’ve now created real clarity—everyone knows what needs to happen and who’s responsible.
Make Sure Everyone On Your Team Knows Their Role
Second, you need alignment. This happens naturally when people commit to specific outcomes. You’ve had a one-on-one conversation with them. You’ve agreed on what they’re delivering. Now, it’s clear to everyone what each person owns and how they fit into the bigger picture.
That shared visibility creates alignment across the team. Everyone knows how their efforts contribute to the company’s success.
And as CEO, you want to take alignment further—by emphasizing collaboration. Make it clear that we don’t just hit our Key Results alone. We support each other, help each other, and work as a team to make key results happen. That’s where true alignment deepens.
Holding People Accountable
Finally—accountability. This is where many CEOs struggle. Some worry that if they hold people accountable, they’ll come off as difficult, or that their team won’t like working for them. So they go soft—and end up with poor results.
But accountability doesn’t mean being harsh. It simply means going back to what someone committed to do—and reviewing their progress.
In the OKR framework, this means looking at the key result and asking:
- Are we on track?
- What challenges are you running into?
- What support do you need?
It’s an open and honest conversation. One where both sides are aligned on the Key Result and working together to get there.
That’s what accountability really is. It’s not about pressure—it’s about helping people succeed.
Three Important Areas to Master as the CEO
So if you want to get ahead of 99% of CEOs, focus on this:
- Create clarity.
- Drive alignment.
- Follow through with accountability.
Do these three things well, and you’ll lead a stronger team, build a healthier culture, and grow a more successful company.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re serious about becoming the kind of CEO your team wants to follow—and your board wants to bet on—Schedule a 60-minute, complimentary coaching session with me. In our time together, you’ll receive valuable leadership insights, and we’ll explore if long-term coaching could be a good fit for you.
