it and only great things will come
from it. Be open to being vulnerable
and having your ideas shot down,
and perhaps not getting all the cred-
it for the final idea. It takes a team;
be part of it! And remember the
words of Sir Ken Robinson: “If you’re
not prepared to be wrong, you’ll
never come up with anything.”

• Have the courage to make a
decision: Grow your confidence
to make a decision. Leaders are
decisive.

• Always move forward: What got
you where you are won’t get you
where you want to be. Never stop
learning and growing.

• Ask open-ended questions: As
my grandpa used to say, we have
two ears and one mouth for a rea-
son. Listen more; talk less. This is
how you get to know everything
you need to know.

Think Like A CEO

P

Jon Dwoskin

lease listen to my words:
Regardless of your title, how
many people you manage,
your position in the company, the
salary you make, the amount (or
lack thereof) of equity and/or own-
ership you have in the business, you
are the CEO of your own business.
You may work for someone else on
paper, but you always work for your-
self. I want you to OWN this right
now.
Every morning, you decide if you
are going to walk back into your
company and through the door to
your office or the entrance to your
cubby. This means that you have
the power to bring your best self to
work every day. When you have the
mindset that you work for someone,
you feel like an employee. I want you
to feel like the owner, like someone
who has a vested interest in contin-
ual personal and business growth.
To make this easier to absorb, I
can tell you that virtually all CEOs
want everyone in their company
thinking like a CEO. Why? Because
this is extreme ownership. When

everyone takes extreme owner-
ship, the culture grows, the people
grow, the bottom line grows and
everyone enjoys the ride a lot more.
Everything becomes more fulfilling
and profitable.
I want you to take this level of
conviction, empowerment and
ownership with you to work tomor-
row, and I want your thinking
to evolve as you are reading this
column. I want you to think like a
CEO every second of every minute
of every day! Great idea, Jon, you
may be thinking — but how do I do
that? Here are the first fundamen-
tal steps you need to take to start
thinking and acting more like the
CEO of your own business.

• Be open minded: Don’t assume.
Always listen with new ears and
see things with new eyes. Seek first
to understand before being under-
stood. Remember, there are many
perspectives, not just yours.

• Know your best and highest
frequency: When are you most in

tune with what’s going on around
you? When do you just know you’re
on the right path? When you
know this, you can evolve those
moments, bring them into other
elements of your day and begin to
accelerate your business.

• Have extreme ownership: Lead
by example by taking ownership and
inspiring others to do the same. This
requires personal accountability,
solid training and, of course, having
the right people in the right seats
doing the right things.

• Have impeccable execution: Do
what you say you are going to do
when you say you are going to do it.
Nothing grows your credibility bet-
ter and nothing destroys your cred-
ibility and reputation more than
when you don’t keep your word.

• Take a chance on your ideas:
Every idea is a great idea. Many
times, the best idea comes from the
idea before it. You are unique and
have unique perspective, so share

• Positively reinforce your team:
Everyone wants to know they mat-
ter. If you have their hearts, you
have their trust. If you have their
trust, they will walk through a wall
with you.

• Take action: Without action,
nothing happens.

I love the question: “How would
you eat an elephant?” The answer,
of course, is one bite at a time. I
suggest you take one item a week
and grow your skillset in that area.
Everything grows and com-
pounds when done consistently
over time. Be patient and commit
to the daily ritual of growth and
evolving your CEO mindset. This
will put you one step closer to your
corner office because your actions
are a constant reminder that YOUR
business matters. •

Jon Dwoskin is a business coach and execu-
tive adviser who grows businesses. He is the
author of “The Think Big Movement.” Visit
jondwoskin.com for more or email him at
jon@jondwoskin.com.

Sachse Helps Put Detroit
Kids On Wheels

More than 200 team members from
Sachse Construction and its sister
companies built 28 bikes to gift to
28 kids from the Downtown Boxing
Gym last month. Team members
split into groups to earn their bike
parts for assembly by completing
team-building challenges. Once the
bikes were assembled, Sachse and

46

August 9 • 2018

jn

company surprised their team mem-
bers by having the kids on-site to
receive their new bikes. Each group
met their recipient to help them
secure their helmet and adjust their
bike seat to prepare them for their
first ride. A bicycle mechanic was on-
site to ensure each bike was safe and
ready for riding. •