Name: Christine Rose

Title: CEO

Organisation: CEOAccel

Startup founder, CEO coach, internationally bestselling author and speaker, philanthropy advisor, mom and grandma

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Christine's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

The biggest challenge is getting increasingly comfortable with not knowing. As a leader, there are so many things to learn. In a world where we're taught that it's not okay to not have answers, I'm continually working on growing my ability to remain centered and hold the vision while navigating through challenges and opportunities that require openness, asking questions, seeking help from others, and pursuing learning to find the right answers. I don't have to know everything. But I do have to be humble enough to seek help and to learn.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Leaders declare a future that others commit to.

I have talked to hundreds of CEOs since the spring of 2020 and became aware through these conversations that so many are 50+ years old, facing challenges associated with coming out of the pandemic, needing to turn around or build up their companies, and lacking the resources and knowledge to make the needed changes and prepare for a successful exit. They also are juggling too much, pressed for time, overwhelmed and stressed. And they're aware that they're getting older, and the future is coming fast. But they don't have freedom in their hectic schedules to devote to the learning and planning they really need to do right now.

My response was "These are my brothers and sisters. I care about them. How could we help them address these challenges together, in less time, and have more fun in this stage of their lives?"

And in setting about bringing together resources, information, coaches, partners and a team to support them, and creating an opportunity to join a community of Accelerators (that's what we call members) to learn together to create a positive, impactful future for themselves, their families, their companies, and their communities, I became a leader.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I'm up at five. The morning starts with time in scripture, meditation and prayer, self-care and then work. If I need to commute, I use the time to listen to podcasts or to sing worship songs and pray, because there are so many needs in the world to entrust to God. Once I'm at my desk, I try to follow Brian Tracy's advice and "eat that frog," getting the hard things done first. I give myself 5-10 minutes between meetings to move, drink water, center, and prepare mentally for the next item of business.

Workdays are planned out in advance to make sure the most important work gets top priority. I prep for the next day as I end the workday, schedule project time and delegate as much as possible. After work, I devote time to movement, learning, family, and rest.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Spend more time listening than talking. Not long ago I was told by a courageous friend that after hellos, I'd spent the first 8 minutes of a 20-minute meeting talking. This wouldn't leave much time to get the information needed from others at the meeting. This gift of awareness reminded me that all team progress requires prioritizing listening to create an opportunity to understand and agree on shared care.

For leaders and teams that struggle with building more self-awareness and better team culture, a great resource is www.TheYesWorks.com and their brilliant CEO Aaron Schmookler.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

The Four Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation by Dr. Timothy R. Clark has been a game-changing book for me. Its practical application of the principles of psychological safety, which has been so brilliantly researched by Amy Edmondson and confirmed by Google's Project Aristotle, helped me see and be more intentional about how I show up in working relationships, and to be aware that creating inclusion, learning, contributor, and challenger safety is essential for innovation.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

People follow you when they believe you care about them and are committed to a shared vision that helps them get what they want or need. Stay committed to the vision, and don't waver on your care or commitment.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

One of our Accelerators told me they spoke to business brokers who said that the business their family had been running for over 20 years which employed 15 people wouldn't sell and that it would be better to just sell the equipment and fold the company. This Accelerator decided that was not an acceptable result, and decided to hold off on retiring and create a different future. They joined CEOAccel and have worked on executing value-building principles and are making plans to set a price that will support the owners' retirement goal when they exit.

Last year they had their best year yet and are continuing to build the business and put the structure and team in place that will make it sellable for their asking price. As the founder, it means the world to me when CEOs/owners take the initiative to do the work to make their life's worth count, make their best impact in the community at their exit, and make their dreams a reality.