Do you know what matters most to the people who will evaluate your performance? If not, then your odds of succeeding are quite low.

When I begin to work with a CEO or other leader, I’ll speak to Directors of their Board or perhaps individuals at the private equity firm that brought the CEO in. I ask them to articulate their priorities, then will summarize what I heard into a single document, which I circulate back to the participants.

Give me your reactions, I’ll request. In many cases, I hear, “No, no, no, you forgot about this,” or “You know, that’s not actually as important as these two other things.” We keep going in this process until there is a clear consensus regarding specifically what is expected of my client.

Do you have this sort of clarity around your job? Many people don’t.

Most run off to the races to demonstrate action, but don’t take enough time and invest enough energy to understand what matters most to your “bosses.”  

It’s also critically important to understand what levers you have at your disposal. How much can you invest in growth? Do you have carte blanche to hire new talent? Can you reset the plan that you inherited from a predecessor?

Too many people work hard day after day… pursuing the wrong goals. Don’t let this happen to you.