What helps you become a CEO? Start by asking questions.
In the past, my thoughts were often stuck in small, daily things like:
“Is there any drama on Facebook today?”
“Did anyone like my story?”
“Did my crush drop any hints?”
“Is anyone asking me out today?”
“Does my best friend have new stories to tell me?”
Looking back, I can’t help but laugh at myself. None of these thoughts really helped me grow, yet they always gave me that emotional, butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling.
Everything started to change when I entered a phase of “I don’t even know who I am.”
And that’s when I began searching for real answers.
I don’t know if I will become a CEO one day.
But I started thinking seriously about how to build the mindset and skills that could lead me to success, beginning with these questions:
What kind of person do I want to become?
What am I capable of building or achieving?
What do I truly care about within myself?
What problems do I notice in society?
Do I want to change the world in my own way?
What do I want to build, and how can I start?
What do I need to do to become the person I want to be?
I believe that if you keep asking yourself:
What is the problem? Why does it matter to me? And how can I solve it?
you are already acting like a CEO, because you are taking ownership of your life and your actions.
I think every successful CEO today also started with very simple and basic questions.
But they kept going, and eventually built great companies and amazing teams.
Wishing all of us one day become CEOs, not just of companies, but of our own lives and the “empires” we choose to build.
Do you have any other advice? I’d really welcome everyone’s thoughts here.
Replies
minimalist phone: creating folders
I do not have any advice, but I can certainly say that self-reflection is a huge part of growth.
And once, Eleanor Roosevelt said: Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
So all the questions you asked yourself at the beginning made you focus on minor problems, but now, you are trying to come up with the ideas, that's a huge shift. :)
Murror
@busmark_w_nika Thank you Nika.
minimalist phone: creating folders
@monatruong_murror You are welcome :)
I really relate to this. I was also stuck in small emotional loops before I started asking bigger questions. What helped me most was staying consistent, reading, building, failing, repeating. CEOs aren't born confident; they grow by staying curious longer than everyone else.
Murror
@karishma_yadav3 As you said, the confident was built by skills, it's a process of training and discipline. It's hard but it helps you go so far. Just keep your habit, I think it will help you in the rest of your life not only in the short time.
Triforce Todos
One thing that helped me was writing these questions down and revisiting them every few months. Answers change as we grow, and that’s a good sign.
Murror
@abod_rehman Sounds great and what change have you noticed when you revisiting?
I think the core value in any business is trust and the core skill used to promote that value is empathy. Though, this is much easier said than done. What I've found is that transparency, honesty, and (to a degree) personal vulnerability really resonates with a lot of customers, especially Gen Z and Millennials.
Product Hunt
(CEO of Product Hunt here) I don’t identify as a CEO, but I do identify as a founder. For me, the title is a thing I’m willing to wear and carry in order to build something new, to unlock the potential in this company, the product, the team.
When I think about myself in non-founder roles vs founder, the main difference I’ve felt is ultimate responsibility and ownership. Other people can support but only your hands are on the steering wheel (with your cofounders). It can feel crushing - the weight - and lonely. Or it can feel deeply satisfying, freeing, like an adventure. Sometimes it feels like all of these things.