A few years ago, when I decided to move up to the C-Suite or Boardroom where the big bucks decisions were made I had to re-learn a new vocabulary and with it, a new mindset or frame of reference.

It was a rude awakening to say the least, but a good friend and professional management consultant who ascended to the CEO’s position at a sizable company in the Commercial Cleaning Industry, became my Boardroom Mentor and Teacher and gently (patiently, too) walked me through the process.

Because it worked for me, I will share this process with you in this and future blogs. Let us start at the top of the decision-making pyramid where the buck stops at the desk of the Chief Executive Officer.

First, by revealing what keeps CEOs awake at night? What issues must be addressed if CEOs are to responsibly lead their companies?

The CEO Focus:

• Increase stockholder value.
• Execute strategic goals, missions and objectives to inspire their other Chiefs.
• Reinvent the company so it is correctly aligned with its now and future customers.
• Make strategic decisions to recruit, keep and motivate company-centric employees.
• Make strategic decisions to position their company as a market leader 2-4 years from now.

There are others, but these five are the drivers in which CEOs invest the majority of their time. A simple but relevant metaphor is to think of the CEO as a bus driver. They control the direction, acceleration and are responsible for the safety of their vehicle, its conductors (other Chiefs) and riders (employees).

They must always keep their eyes on the road in front and way ahead. They must see down the road and over the horizon. Their time-line is about the future, which is 2-4 years from now, because their today-leadership and today-vision have the most serious consequences when these become down-the-road realities. Wrong, reactionary decisions today can have catastrophic consequences down the road.

CEOs often have the final say in big ticket purchasing decisions when hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars are at stake. The higher you venture up the corporate ladder, the more at ease and confident you must be with P&Ls, financial terminology and the numbers on their electronic spreadsheets.

In my next blog you will learn the importance of business acumen and industry savvy.

I have always considered myself to be a resourceful person. One who can move a good idea along to the next stage until it becomes a killer app or useful tool. Here’s my method for making it happen.

My week begins 4:00 am  each Sunday. For 31 years, I’ve used a Franklin-Covey Planner with the 2 letter-size pages for each day because my handwriting is large. One page has 2 columns: Column 1 for my 3 each, A-type Priorities identified Prioritized Daily Tasks and column 2 for time from: 4am – 8pm.

The opposite page is for ‘Daily Notes’. This page is further divided into 4 sections. The top 14 lines are for Communications which include: phone calls, voice-mails, e-mails and, even snail-mail correspondence to be completed this day.

The next 18 lines are for Action and include my hand-written notes concerning the 3 A-type Priorities from the opposite page, as well as any addition remarks from the Communication section. I’ve learned to only schedule 3 A-type Priorities each day to manage those must-do activities which will move my goals forward.

My Monday Pages always include another category: New Idea, which I write any idea worth consideration that will promote my book sales and consulting services. During the Week, I return to this New Idea section and write timely, relevant notes.

The last Section is Food, where I record my daily menu. I’m a Type 2 diabetic, so what goes into my mouth goes onto this page together with the time of consumption.

At month-end, before I summarize my month’s activities and remove the pages which are then saved in a past months binder, I go back and review each Monday’s New Idea and my notes for that day.

Then, I select the Best Idea of the month and I create a Projects-in-the-Works Action page where I time-line what steps to complete to move this Best Idea out of the idea stage and into the action stages.

Some of my past Best Ideas included: converting my printed books into ebooks; authoring blogs for each ebook and my consulting services; and cross-platform marketing concepts which increased revenues.

Since I prefer to use a paper-based appointment planner system instead of an electronic PDA or smart phone, I know there is some duplication writing and re-writing. While re-writing may appear tedious, I think best on-paper plus, by re-writing I conceptualize my thoughts more effectively. It fits my particular comfort zone.

My good ideas capture system makes certain good ideas don’t fall through the cracks since I have an orderly but  hectic daily schedule. What works for me may not fit your work ethic but I encourage you to create your system to capture your Best Ideas.

Ok, so what works for you?