After assessing thousands of CEO candidates over the years and examining in detail who succeeded and failed, their research revealed a key success factor was acting decisively and courageously

Trust Essential First Step Here's what to do. In your interactions every day, take actions that increase the three key factors that build trust, reliability, credibility, and connection.

Reliability. Be someone who can be counted on. Show up on time, be prepared, and over-deliver. Make commitments and follow through. Close the loop on all expectations. If sometimes you fall short, do whatever it takes to make it right.

Credibility. Bring value to the table. Know what you're supposed to know and do what you're supposed to do. Learn all you can about your business and industry. Step up when you're needed. Make your presence felt and add value.

Connection. Build rapport and relationship with others. Learn something from them or about them every time you interact. Find out what matters to them and help them get it.

"Set your course by the stars, "not by the lights of every passing ship."

We need direction, but not just any direction, nor one that is too susceptible to change, though things change around us every day.

Second, motivate commitment. Why should we give our best effort? You must make a convincing case and embody the inspiration you want to see in others.

Third, drive for results. What happens when trouble happens? Changes, challenges, and crises will come. You must prepare us to adapt and endure and prevent us from giving in to excuses, naivete, and fatigue.

"The pessimist complains about the wind; "the optimist expects it to change; "the realist adjusts the sails."

Fourth, develop yourself. How do you equip yourself for the journey? You can't give your people what they deserve for long unless you give yourself what you need too. Leading others is a voyage in the outer world of tangible results and the inner world of your own growth. It takes curiosity and courage.

To enhance your strategic thinking, here's what to do.

Most people's thinking is dominated by the here and now, but effective executives make a habit of thinking ahead in time and space.

Read the annual reports of firms in and out of your industry and study their strategies. Seek roles, projects, and relationships that expand your perspective.

To enhance your strategic thinking, here's what to do.

Listen to interviews with CEOs and business leaders, and pay close attention to how they talk about their choices and future plans. Read the annual reports of firms in and out of your industry and study their strategies.

Seek roles, projects, and relationships that expand your perspective. Push your own thinking, don't wait for someone else to do it for you.

Ask lots of what if questions, generate different scenarios for what might happen in technology trends, market fluctuations, international affairs, and government policies.

Also ask what if questions as if you were in a different role. What if you were the CEO, what would you do? What if you were in charge of your competitor's firm, and so forth. Interact consistently with other creative and strategic thinkers.

Find these people, take initiative. Pose questions, notice the thought process, and expand the breadth of your point of view.

Here's how to do it. Get in the habit of making sharp, clear choices and articulating why you made them while respecting, crediting, and appreciating those who advocated different choices.

Use you're strategic perspective, take input from key stakeholders, gather diverse points of view, ask if you're solving the right problem, explore what the root causes are that's driving the problem, generate alternatives, and consider consequences.

Challenge your assumptions, biases, and the limits of your experience and expertise. Ask what data is missing, even if you have data already. That's a common blind spot.

And finally, consult trusted advisors regularly. It's the best remedy for Jefferson's misery and that decision point aloneness.

Especially during times of stress or change, it's natural for people's focus on me to overcome their sense of we. So during good times and hard times alike, executives need to draw people together and point them forward with clarity and energy.

One. What should we be most proud of from our past? This goes straight to the most inspiring answers to their who are we question.

Emphasize the best parts of where we've come from. Give evidence with examples. Instead of treating the past as irrelevant or emphasizing what's wrong about it, focus on the best things we accomplished, overcame or learned.

Two. What are the most important challenges and opportunities we face in the present? To have credibility, it's important to acknowledge realistically what we currently face, instead of avoiding the problems that everyone knows about. And you'll also want to identify the opportunities that many might not see.

Three. What are our inspiring ambitions for the future? Instead of dominating our focus on what's wrong, or merely surviving in the short term, give people a powerful possibility to live into.

Think of how demoralizingly me focused that could've been. I'm in a failed group with a dismal future and had better get what I can for myself or get out of here fast. Instead, here's how he used past, present, future to shift focus from 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐞.

First part, about the past. We've been through tough times recently, "but that doesn't erase what we've accomplished "and the strong legacy we inherited to build on."

Second part, about the present. Now "We're fighting to prove our worth to this organization. "If we rise to that challenge, we'll secure an influential "place in the strategic planning process "for the company going forward, far into the future."

Third part, about the future. And we've got our sights set on even more than that. "We can be the engine that drives our firm "to industry leadership." and here he cited specific initiatives they were working on.

Now, when you practice this. Continually update your list of answers for the three questions, and you'll be ready any time, anywhere for an impromptu response or a formal presentation.

"A good leader inspires others "with confidence in him; A great leader inspires them "with confidence in themselves."

Purpose and vision apply to all executive leaders because they answer the critically important why questions that go to the fundamental motivations people bring with them, or leave behind, when they come to work

A shared purpose is a values-driven, integrity-based motive that people in the organization can rally around and be proud to champion.

A compelling vision is an inspiring view of the better future we're striving to create by acting on our shared purpose.

"we let the voice of the patient be heard."

For compelling vision, talk with people also about the most meaningful, valuable ways things can be better if your organization performs as well as possible in the coming years.

Give them a reason to be proud of what they do, and to know it's making a positive difference. Give them a shared purpose and a compelling vision.

a crucial part of leadership is having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you're in control, they're in control, and if you're not, they're not, and they lose confidence in themselves and in you.

One. Practice directing your thoughts towards the number one positive priority for your situation.

Focus your thoughts, not on your inner unease, but on what matters most for the group.

Two. Direct your feelings toward determination to make progress on that number one priority.

Make friends with that feeling. Go to it over and over in less stressful times and it gets easier and easier to access when the pressure is on. It works.

Three. That's where your actions come in. Get determined to focus on that number one priority and to take the best actions to advance that priority. Actions include what you say and do including your body language and tone of voice.

One of her most important priorities is ensuring the emotional vitality of the organization. It was crucial to her success as an executive at Starbucks

Here's how to do it. Give them something to get energized about. Enthusiasm is contagious, but so is its absence. If my leader doesn't seem to care very much, would should I? Think of it this way