Situation: A CEO of a small but rapidly growing company needs to transfer her knowledge and experience to current employees and new hires. This includes project management, IT management and engineering. To support the company’s growth, she needs to focus on business development and closing sales to important clients. How do you train others to fill your shoes?

Advice of the CEOs:

• Quash any skepticism associated with the release of control of areas that were previously overseen to grow the company to its current state.
  • Selected individuals with the capacity oversee these operations. As the working relationship develops trust will replace any existing skepticism about these individuals’ ability to take on these roles.
• Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Focus on team management.
  • Hire sales people who will be tolerant of the odds and ends of prospective client behavior. Focus on effectively managing the sales team.
  • Train them to bring the CEO into key points in the sales process where that input can assist – after they have completed initial client development and know that a potential client relationship exists.
• From time to time, it will be necessary to refocus the efforts of others. What can be done to facilitate this?
  • Ask questions. Try to refocus the conversation.
  • Seek clarification of what is said – “Let me summarize what I heard” – then refocus the conversation.
  • Adjust perspective. When an individual starts to ramble, they may divulge important information without considering the implications. Make mental or written notes and look for opportunities. Their talking can become a gold mine of information.
  • Use the conversation to make a personal connection. People love others who will listen patiently to them and infer trust and connection from this.
• As CEO, the job is to help others succeed. The result is the success of the whole enterprise.
  • Remember that there are different levels of sophistication. Adjust the mindset and exercise tolerance over these differences.
  • Focus on passions and strengths. Get others to assist in areas which are not your strengths, but which may be strengths for them.

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