Management • Operations • Productivity • Business Tips • 44 minutes

9 Pillars to Become a CEO Warrior

March 22, 2022

Episode Overview

Clarity is key. That’s a simple statement—and it’s a key concept that business leaders need to absorb as they strive to create a successful company.

Mike Disney believes clarity is the most important pillar in a CEO’s foundation.

“I don't think you need to tell these comforting lies to people,” says Disney, chief operating officer and co-owner of CEO Warrior. “You need the hurtful truth. If you don’t have the hurtful truth, you can’t improve. I can sit here and tell you how amazing you are. But if you’re not amazing, I’m probably not doing you any justice.”

CEO Warriors is a New Jersey-based company with global reach that trains and coaches business leaders.

Clarity is a way to fix a variety of issues, adds Mary Anglen, a senior adviser at CEO Warrior.

“Clarity is the biggest problem solver,” Anglen says. “That's what I love about it. If you're dealing with challenges in your business, dealing with struggles, seeing things not working, you’re probably telling your people the same thing over and over again.”

When everybody’s not on the same page that signifies a lack of clarity.

“It’s where people struggle the most, because it requires a really high level of communication,” she says. “I love clarity. If it’s there, then everything else gets easier.”

When excellent communication is in place, Anglen says, that’s when a CEO can excel and really take on the role of a leader.

“When I communicate well with my team, then I set everybody up for success,” she says. “I’ve always felt like a leader’s role in the company is not to tell people what to do. It's to be a resource for them. And, to make sure that they have all the tools that they need to be successful.”

Anglen says a leader’s job is to constantly check on what their team needs to be successful—and provide it to them.

Disney adds that effective CEOs are also creating predictable success.

“It’s planning the day, planning tomorrow, the night before,” Disney says. “Being planned out is predictable success. It's creating a deliberate reality cycle.”

He says if you don’t dial in and manifest what you want, you’re just going to get caught up in the triage of the day.

“If I could go back in my earlier life as a business owner, planning it out and having a sense of urgency behind that plan would absolutely be the one thing that I would stay focused on,” he says.

Mike Disney and Mary Anglen recently joined ServiceTitan’s Jackie Aubel as part of Season 5 of the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which included their thoughts on:

  • Why your team needs to hear the hurtful truth and not fluff. 

  • Building a foundation of predictable success.

  • Major mistakes regarding employees and promotion.

  • Foundational structure as a critical element for expansion.

  • Using ServiceTitan’s dashboard to plan your day.

To hear more tales from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or anywhere you get podcasts.

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Our comprehensive, cloud-based platform is used by thousands of electrical, HVAC, plumbing, garage door, and chimney sweep shops across the country—and has increased their revenue by an average of 25% in just their first year with us.

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Toolbox for the Trades is a podcast where top service professionals share the tips, tricks, and tactics they use to succeed in their industry. Hosted by Jackie Aubel, this podcast is brought to you by ServiceTitan—the leading home and commercial field service software.

Episodes will feature stories and strategies to help contractors grow and scale their service business.

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