CEO Mindset: How to Identify and Clear All the Fears & Blocks Holding You Back from Reaching Your Next Level
Introduction
Hello, friend!
Why did you start your business? Did you have a vision of what you wanted to create and why? Or did you just throw open your doors and hope for the best?
If you’re not reaching your income goals or if you feel your client roster should be much longer that it is, there are reasons for that, and it boils down to mindset. Mindset consists of those little stories we tell ourselves. Sometimes they are true and they propel us toward awesomeness; other times they are full of lies and can halt us in our tracks like quicksand.
Successful CEOs embrace the CEO mindset which is equivalent to a growth mindset. They aren’t afraid of learning new things and they can envision a future for their company. Less successful business owners often have an employee mindset, or a fixed mindset. They believe that they cannot reach their pinnacle of success or they are too afraid to take the necessary actions. A person with a fixed mindset believes that there is no room for growth. Essentially, they are afraid to step out of their comfort zone and just settle for less.
Which mindset do you want to embrace? The good news is you can change your mindset and your negative self-talk. You CAN make that switch from employee mindset to CEO mindset (the brain is a remarkable thing!). The bad news is this doesn’t happen overnight. However, with steady, concerted effort – and following the steps laid out in this workbook – you can shift your thinking and beliefs while also conquering the fears that are holding you back.
Are you ready to get started?
Step One: Stop Thinking Like an Employee & Make Your CEO Mindset Priority #1
Worksheet: Identify your daily tasks
When you fall into a rut, often times you’re not aware of how you spend your days. Take time during the week to really pay attention to EVERYTHING you do; then split them into EMPLOYEE tasks or CEO tasks. You might surprise yourself with the results.
Your Daily Tasks
CEO Tasks
Employee Tasks
Worksheet: Explore Your CEO Mindset
These are typically some CEO qualities. Jot down some notes and start thinking about your mission and goals every day.
Your CEO Mindset
What’s the vision for your company?
What tasks would you like to outsource?
What are some ways you can become less emotional about your business?
Ideas for building / scaling your business.
Find inspiration and incorporate it into your daily routine.
Brainstorm ideas for new projects, products, services.
Step Two: Get Real About What’s Stopping You From Being a Vision-Driven Boss
Worksheet: Define your fears
You can’t conquer fears unless you can name those fears. List below those things that make your palms sweaty or that tie your stomach in knots.
Define Your Fears
Worksheet: Journal Your Thoughts
Journaling can help organize your thoughts while allowing you to explore deeper emotions. Use this space to answer questions that will help you further define your fears.
What am I afraid of when it comes to growing or running my business as the leader?
Do any of these ideas surprise you? Why or Why not?
Can you think of specific experiences that might have formed these fears?
How do you feel when you see your business starting to take shape?
Do you have the desire to eliminate these fears and change to a growth mindset? Why or why not?
What do you hope to accomplish?
Step Three: Define and Refine the Fears Stunting Your Growth (So You Can Start Crushing Your Goals!)
Worksheet: Categorize your fears + look for patterns
What do your fears have in common? Do you see a recurring theme? Categorize each fear as Vague or Specific. For every Vague fear, dig deeper and define a specific fear. Lastly, highlight those with a recurring theme.
Vague
Specific
Vague
Specific
Step Four: Tackle the Right Fear First for the Biggest Payoff
Worksheet: Prioritize your fears
Instead of being overwhelmed with a long list of fears, use this space to prioritize each one. Determine if each fear has short-term impacts (less than 1 year) or long-term impacts (longer than 1 year) on your business.
Short Term Impact
Long Term Impact
Worksheet: give each fear a number value
Rate your fears from 1-4, with 1 being the fear that is most timely and should be tackled immediately. For instance, getting over your fear of producing products should happen rather fast as opposed to managing a team of 5 people. Getting your products out to your market has more of an immediate impact on your business than growing a team.
Rate Your Fears 1-4
#1
Has the most timely impact on your business
#2
#3
#4
important but can wait until your other fears are conquered
Step Five: Break Down Your Fears with Tiny-But-Bold Action
Worksheet: Take action
It’s time to embrace the CEO mindset and take action to quell your fears. Separate your SPECIFIC fears into 2 categories: Lack of Knowledge or Lack of Personal Motivation.
Lack of Knowledge
Lack of Personal Motivation
Worksheet: Delegate or Learn
As CEO, you simply don’t have enough time in the day to do EVERYTHING. So, based on the previous list, figure out a solution to your fears. Do you REALLY want to learn something new, or do you want to delegate it? The fears under the Lack of Personal Motivation will best serve you to be deleted, streamlined, or delegated.
Your Specific Fear
Your Solution
Your Specific Fear
Your Solution
Worksheet: Brainstorm Your Solutions
If you’re having difficulty figuring out the solutions to your fears, use this space to brainstorm possibilities. Journal the answers to these questions to gain more clarity.
BRAINSTORM POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO YOUR FEARS
Your Specific Fear
What action can I take right now to get over this fear?
Is this fear out of my control at the moment?
BRAINSTORM POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO YOUR FEARS
Your Specific Fear
What action can I take right now to get over this fear?
Is this fear out of my control at the moment?
Worksheet: celebrate small wins
Celebrate every little win or action, no matter how small. Do this daily or weekly so you can feel a sense of accomplishment.
Your Small Wins
Your Small Wins Continued
Step Six: Surround Yourself with Other Supportive CEO Superstars
Worksheet: meet other CEOs
Brainstorm where you can meet other small business owners/CEOs to share ideas and help each other resolve problems. Do a general brainstorm first, then do some research and choose only those groups/events that are active.
Where Can I Meet Other CEOs?
Research Notes + Details
Week 1
Monday
AM
Track your daily tasks.
Split these into 2 lists: Employee + CEO
What patterns do you recognize?
Visualize what tasks you want a team member to take over.
PM
Coach Clients
Tuesday
AM
Research how to hire a team member.
Get referrals from business friends.
Reach out and start scheduling interviews.
PM
Coach Clients
Wednesday
AM
Start a brainstorm list of what you think your fears are.
What do you feel is holding you back from bigger success?
Examine how you feel waking up in the morning.
Are you excited to get to work, or do you procrastinate?
Do you look forward to the day’s possibilities or do you dread looking at your to do list?
PM
Coach Clients
Thursday
AM
Write down your CURRENT morning routine.
How do you get ready for the day?
Do these tasks prepare you for the day or make you want to call in sick?
Look at the book, The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
Take notes about how you can change your morning routine (or create one) that helps you prepare for your day and helps develop your CEO mindset.
PM
Coach Clients
Friday
AM
Reflect on your notes from this week.
Continue following your morning routine, even on the weekends.
Review your week.
Catch up on finishing all tasks.
Schedule next week.
PM
Coach Clients
Week 2
Monday
AM
Find a source of inspiration, such as articles about successful CEOs or empowerment podcasts.
Add a daily dose of inspiration to your day.
PM
Coach Clients
Tuesday
AM
Take notes about your vision for your company.
Where do you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years?
Take notes on how you plan on getting to these goals.
This list is meant to change as you take action. Begin with a brainstorm list and then fine tune it as you go along.
PM
Coach Clients
Wednesday
AM
Revisit your vision notes. Add more detail if necessary.
Look back at your list of fears. Make changes. How are these fears holding you back specifically?
PM
Coach Clients
Thursday
AM
Examine your current business strategies (marketing, advertising, products/programs, etc.)
Do these strategies make sense to your vision?
Or are you doing what everyone else is doing?
Go back to basics. Revise your plans until they are more aligned with your vision and with what your target market wants/needs.
Ask your target market what they want/need. Create a survey, ask on social media, send an email to subscribers.
PM
Coach Clients
Friday
AM
Review all your notes.
Do they make you excited?
Can you visualize the possibilities?
Review your week.
Catch up on finishing all tasks.
Schedule next week.
PM
Coach Clients
Week 3
Monday
AM
Use a journal to answer the following questions:
What am I afraid of when it comes to growing or running my business as the leader?
Do any of your fears stem from your childhood?
How will you feel when you see your business starting to take shape?
PM
Coach Clients
Tuesday
AM
Review your notes about fears.
Do you notice any patterns? Does the same fear manifest in different ways?
Use your journal to organize these thoughts.
Make a list of Vague + Specific fears.
For every Vague fear, break it down into a specific fear.
PM
Coach Clients
Wednesday
AM
Examine your list of specific fears again.
Identify specific incidents when that fear appeared.
Use your journal to explore what lessons you learned from those fears.
PM
Coach Clients
Thursday
AM
Separate your fears into Long Term Impact (longer than 1 year) or Short-Term Impact (less than a year).
Examine how you can reshape those fears as stretching outside your comfort zone OR how a CEO would delegate or eliminate that particular task.
Try classifying your fears in numeric order, with 1 being the most timely.
Tackle those timely fears to avoid any long-term impact on your business.
Examine how to reshape those fears or how to handle them like a CEO.
PM
Coach Clients
Friday
AM
Re-read all your notes this week.
Journal about how you’re feeling regarding your fears and mindset.
Review your week.
Catch up on finishing all tasks.
Schedule next week.
PM
Coach Clients
Week 4
Monday
AM
Examine whether your fears fall into a Lack of Knowledge or Lack of Motivation.
Take action.
Do you really need training to overcome a fear, or can you outsource those tasks instead?
Journal about how you feel after taking action.
PM
Coach Clients
Tuesday
AM
Find other ways to conquer your fears.
Journaling
EFT
Schedule time each quarter to assess your fears and any changes/improvements.
Any other option that helps you move away from fear into confidence.
PM
Coach Clients
Wednesday
AM
Examine the book, The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work
Start tracking your small wins daily.
Start a list of meaningful rewards for when you have conquered fears.
PM
Coach Clients
Thursday
AM
Find a mastermind or a group of peers who understand your fears + frustrations.
When you surround yourself with successful people, you will make different decisions plus be inspired by the actions they take.
Be willing to invest in yourself; if you don’t, how can you expect your clients to invest with you?
Express your fears or ask for advice in these groups.
PM
Coach Clients
Friday
AM
Review your notes from this month.
Celebrate your wins.
Continue taking steps to face + conquer your fears.
Schedule next week.
Declutter and update your office, hardware, equipment, etc.
UNPLUG FOR THE WEEKEND!
PM
Coach Clients
Checklist:
I understand the difference between working IN my business (employee mindset) versus working ON my business (CEO mindset).
I understand the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.
I am willing to make changes to my mindset and my actions.
I am open to the idea of hiring team members as I need them to lessen the daily task load so I can become more of a visionary.
I have a plan/vision for my business for the next 1, 5, and 10 years.
I have taken an inventory of my actions (or inaction) and understand which mindset I have (employee vs. CEO)
I recognize that taking action is the only way to reach my goals.
I understand that an employee mindset will keep my stuck while a CEO mindset is what will propel me to success.
I understand that I need to create plans that are in alignment with my core beliefs and company’s mission instead of copying a strategy that another business owner has implemented.
I have created a list of my fears.
I have journaled about:
What am I afraid of when it comes to growing or running my business as the leader?
If any fears stem from childhood and interactions with my parents or other adults.
How I feel when I see my business starting to shape up.
My hopes and dreams for my business; what I want to accomplish.
I understand that journaling is beneficial for exploring my fears/emotions but also for organizing my thoughts and plans for my business.
I have identified SPECIFIC fears that are holding me back.
I understand that breaking my vague/general fears down into specific, individual fears will help me overcome them.
I have divided my list of fears into categories of Vague and Specific.
I understand that tackling the Specific fears is easier than my Vague list.
I understand that sometimes my fear is rooted from making a past mistake.
I understand that every mistake and fear have a lesson to be learned.
I understand that refining my fears is a process and will likely take longer than one day to complete.
I understand the two different ways to divide my fears.
The level of impact they will have on my business (short-term vs. long-term).
The time frame of that impact (immediate or in the future).
I understand that rating my fears based on impact and timeliness will help me decide which fears to focus on first (those with the highest impact and the most immediate timeframe).
I understand the need to recognize the source of my fears.
I have identified whether my fears stem from a lack of knowledge or personal motivation.
I have determined the actions I need to take to get over my first fear.
I am thinking like a CEO in deciding these actions.
I understand there are multiple ways to conquer fears, such as:
Journaling
Energetic practices, such as EFT
Revisiting these fears/lists every quarter to work on something new
Other methods suggested by business peers
I understand that my actions don’t have to be big.
Small actions can be praised as small wins and steps toward conquering a fear.
I understand the idea of using rewards as motivation to take action and conquering fears.
I have a list of rewards to redeem when I kick each fear.
I understand that importance of surrounding myself with other CEOs who understand business stress and fears.
I understand that by surrounding myself with other like-minded individuals, I will learn from them and be influenced to take action.
I understand that changes in mindset can be influenced by the group of people/peers I surround myself with.
I have a list of possible groups to join (mastermind and business networking), and I am ready to research their requirements to join.
I understand that investing in a mastermind or other paid group is an investment in myself.
If I won’t invest in myself, how can I expect clients to invest in me?
