My typical week as CEO of a $1.0+B firm

Recently, a subscriber, Amit, sent a reply and asked:

"How did you spend your time on an average week?"

When people picture the role of a CEO, they often imagine back-to-back meetings, constant firefighting, and managing a never-ending stream of urgent requests.

That wasn’t my reality because I was intentional about doing it differently.

In fact, I'd argue that existing in that environment isn't conducive to enabling a firm to execute strategy, grow, and remain relevant and sustainable.

Leading a $1.0+B professional services firm required being intentional about where I spent my time and clearly understanding what activities delivered the most value to the organization.

Here’s how I actually spent my time—and why I believe it contributed to the success we achieved together at Baker Tilly:

(These 6 things can apply to anyone in a leadership position—so even if you aren't CEO of a firm, I encourage you to keep reading)

1. I Gathered Information

I didn’t wake up each morning trying to BREAK THE MOLD™.

But I did wake up looking for information.

I constantly gathered information and, by doing so, identified opportunities for us to approach things in a new way.

I paid close attention to:

• The state of the business

• Emerging roadblocks or friction points

• What our competitors were doing

• Market shifts and new dynamics

• The actions of non-competitors

And this wasn’t limited to information about what was happening within our organization.

The lens through which I thought about scaling Baker Tilly was built from the learnings of other leaders and their experiences running their businesses.

I connected with other CEOs, stayed current through social media, attended conferences and leadership gatherings, and read books and articles from leaders in different industries.

You’d be surprised how much I leveraged learnings from reading books like Reed Hasting’s book, No Rules Rules, on his experiences at Netflix and David Cote’s book, Winning Now, Winning Later, about what he accomplished at Honeywell.

I recently learned a lot from Tarang Amin’s journey at e.l.f. Beauty

I believe great leaders look outside their four walls and outside their industry to gain new perspectives and insights.

The magic comes from applying curiosity and drawing conclusions about where to take the business based on the diversity of information gathered.

2. I connected with our leaders

No matter the size of the business, I was still just one person.

Our ability to execute strategy depended on the ability of our leadership team to get us to where we needed to go.

So I intentionally made time to connect 1:1 with leaders across all levels of the firm.

I met with my direct leadership team on a weekly basis.

I met 1:1 with key leaders in the organization at different intervals.

I will say, I was careful to maintain a balance between gaining visibility into the organization while not overstepping my leaders to respect their place in the organization.

These meetings weren't meant for status updates.

Mostly, I'd listen to their situation and also discuss how they can improve their business’s performance.

Sometimes I listened.
Sometimes I advised.
Sometimes I encouraged.
Sometimes I challenged them.

But I always prioritized the time because enabling strategy required everyone rowing the boat in the same direction.

3. I met with other leaders

In addition to our leaders within the organization, I was intentional about meeting leaders OUTSIDE of my industry and immediate circle.

I always struggled with my leaders who wanted to solely meet with their counterparts at a competitor or similarly sized firm.

They were trying to figure out the same stuff we were!

Why only meet with them? Why not meet with leaders who are not in our space?

I have learned a great deal from a few leaders from industries far from mine.

Take the ‘simple pimple popper’, as he calls himself. Steve scaled a successful dermatology practice, then sold to PE.

Or the self-proclaimed dirt farmer. Todd is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to building a diversified business and incentivising his people.

Or the gear manufacturer. Jamie is mid-stream of a massive scaling journey and the conversations we have about the speed to investment and what his end goal is are invigorating.

Each is fabulously successful in their own right.

I’ve learned many leadership skills by continuing to ask them questions and generally be curious about how they do things.

Those learnings informed my perspectives and played a critical role in our ability to BREAK THE MOLD™ at Baker Tilly and continue to inform how I think today.

4. I Made Time to Think

My greatest impact on the organization often resulted from having the space to think.

I was (and still am) manic about note-taking and scenario noodling.

That’s why I blocked time on my calendar every week to think.

It was my time to:

• Review my notes

• Draw conclusions

• Create clarity on next steps

• Connect the dots

• Enable strategy

That time wasn’t always honored. But the reminder was there.

A reminder to "slow down to speed up”.

Slow down to think and act strategically in the short term.

Speed up your results in the long term.

Some of my most valuable contributions to the organization came from that dedicated time.

5. I did my part to execute strategy

There's a "production" element to being a CEO or senior leader.

I was responsible for activating my agenda and enabling the execution of strategy.

That included things like:

• Looking outside our four walls to find ways to promote the organization

• Exploring growth opportunities (like M&A)

• Communicating strategy internally and externally

I often talk about the responsibility of CEOs to build a movement around the firm's mission, vision, and strategy.

I was the driver behind that movement and made sure I prioritized time and activities that fueled its momentum.

6. I Worked Out

This was therapy for the mind, not so much my physique...

I needed time to move my body and get my mindset right.

Even after a long international flight, I would immediately prioritize time in the gym.

I didn't listen to podcasts or my own music.

I simply existed in whatever space I was in and let my mind wander.

It was another way to clear my mind and, actually, I found I did some of my best strategic thinking during my workouts.

Despite a busy schedule, I prioritized this time because I knew that when I felt my best, I showed up my best.

My team and I deserved that.

The Final Word

Was 100% of my week dedicated to these 6 things?

No. Fires appeared. Priorities shifted.

That’s leadership.

But this framework served as a guidepost.

I knew that when I spent 80% or more of my time on these six things, I was putting the business in the best position to succeed.

As CEO, that was my #1 responsbility.

As for the results, well, I’ll let them speak for themselves.

Whether you're a CEO, senior leader, or manager, I encourage you to prioritize time on your calendar to:

1. Gather information

2. Connect with your leaders

3. Meet with other leaders outside your industry

4. Think

5. Execute strategy

6. Exercise

Those 6 things served me (and continue to serve me) extremely well—and I'm confident they will for you too.