EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
TIM ROBINSON , CEO AT DODDLE
commonly known as resilience . I think the ability to hold your nerve in different circumstances and scenarios sets the best leaders apart .
A
good CEO needs to have the tools to
always clear .
inspire and motivate in and around an organisation whose destination isn ’ t
This can mean having the ability to verbally lay out an exciting future and energise your team . Doddle has a crazy goal which is ‘ to be the most sought-after delivery partner in global e-commerce ’. It ’ s not specific , in so much as it doesn ’ t describe what we do , but it paints the picture around the size of our ambition and our direction of travel .
I think it is equally important to be able to engage colleagues , clients and investors on ‘ paper ’ with succinct pitch decks , intros and content that nail the proposition .
Too often I see long , confusing pitch decks from smart founders and CEOs , who never quite get to the why of their proposition .
The ability to reinvent but to portray as redefinition is also a critical skill . The word pivot is overused when it comes to the growth of businesses ; it ’ s quite rare that a business would pivot , as what they often do is redefine how they are going to achieve the original goal .
It is sometimes important to let unplanned circumstances play out before reacting , so you know where you are . This doesn ’ t just apply to difficult circumstances . On several occasions in my career , I would jump in headfirst , to a new business opportunity , partnership or investment because it seemed too good to be true or just plain exciting .
However , if it seems too good to be true then it often is and while excitement is a light I run towards , it doesn ’ t always mean you end up with an opportunity that fits your business model or your future direction .
The launch of Doddle Runner and Doddle Neighbour back in 2016 would be good examples of ideas or opportunities that I went doughy- eyed over when in practice they ended up being massively distracting and a poor fit with the direction of our business . I learned a lot from the pain that ensued from those two !
THE ABILITY TO HOLD YOUR NERVE IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND SCENARIOS SETS THE BEST LEADERS APART .
This does require some reinvention but if you promote a shift in your model too widely as reinvention , you risk spooking colleagues , investors and clients when it isn ’ t necessary .
And finally , I can ’ t answer a question like this without referring to ‘ nerve ’ which is , maybe , more
www . intelligentcxo . com
21