Cast a Wide Net

Most of your time is spent solving problems, problems that are too big or too important to the organization for someone else to solve. These are the problems that get "kicked upstairs'."

It's tempting to solve as many as we can, as quickly as we can. Of course, it feels good to check something off a list, to make progress. But a note of caution. The CEO's nemesis, the blind spot, loves to make an appearance when we move quickly. We are often smart enough to minimize the damage by making good-enough decisions. But when the decisions are truly important, especially those decisions that are foundational for other decisions, make sure you cast a wide net when considering solutions.  Talk to people, involve people with different perspectives. Take more time than normal.  When you cast a wide net, you are likely to learn improved solutions from perspectives that are different from your own.