A CEO can only be as good as his core team

I believe that the CEO’s litmus test lies in the quality of his impact on the organization. How extensive is the C-suite’s engagement in leading their teams and the organization? The CEO must not be alone in driving employee motivation but be supported by a group of competent and passionate peers.

Employees need their executive management to lead them on multiple fronts and support the CEO in steering the company through rugged terrains. While I acknowledge the CEO is the sole architect of the company’s vision, to carry this out, the role of C-suite is most critical.

It has to engage the respective teams to execute the outlined strategy as per a mission-critical agenda. It must be driven out of collective respect and faith in the CEO. This should emanate out of conviction and not by way of taking orders from the boss. A shared strategy The C-suite executives are the chosen few, mentored by the CEO as custodians of his vision and strategy. They are expect to be sharp executioners, bound by a defined path and with a collective resolve to work collaboratively. It is vital the executive leadership sticks to the ways set by the CEO to build workforce engagement and performance. The CEO’s leadership role demands that the company’s vision and values are a natural fit with its perceived ecosystem. The mission will go in vain if C-suite chooses to deflect these values, resulting in a disconnect between what is professed and practised. A common issue noticed in many companies with conflicting messages from the corporate leadership is on the strategy.

In such situations, even the most powerful of CEOs fail. Their sincere intentions are often misunderstood or lost in translation as rhetoric because the leadership’s actions are contrary to the core values propagated by the CEO. All of which result in employees’ collective dismay and distrust. What works for the self From my perspective, self-good in a high-value organization will automatically promote the larger good of the company. We try propagating the individual’s interest as the centre of organizational sustainability. I believe this will eventually result in the larger good of the organization.

Employee well-being is indeed a conventional approach to build organizational sustainability. However, if focused on self-development along with overall well-being, this will be more fulfilling. That is much more than just offering select benefits. What do employees expect? Definitely, not just higher pay scales.

Holistic benchmarks on good health, work-life balance and professional development do wonders, resulting in a quantum leap in employee engagement. Companies have to make employees feel an ownership in performance… and in company sustainability.

Such convictions power a collective resolve and sets the way forward for a truly sustainable enterprise.

Tariq Chauhan is Group CEO at EFS Facilities Services Group.