The power of creating fresh perspectives via a weekly check-in

On Friday afternoon at 4pm, I had a call with the CEO of a fast-growth business to whom I am a Board Advisor. Each week we put in our earbuds, put on our coats and walk out of the door of our respective homes to have a “virtual walk and talk” for about half an hour.

Often this is the only time in the week where this CEO has time to pause and reflect. As is the way with my “Sounding Board” role, the value is both in them being able to sound out their thoughts and reflections in the week (often their questions can be rhetorical and answered by themselves right afterwards, my role is to shut up and listen at that point!), then also for me to capture key themes and reflect back to them any insights I have based on my knowledge of them and their business allied to my own decades of experience in building businesses.

Again, the key power of such a call is in the CEO being able to lift themselves out of the day-to-day of the business and look at the big picture on a regular weekly basis. This focus on perspective is one reason why I encourage such calls to be taken while outside, even if simply for as short as half an hour or less. Being outside instantly creates fresh perspectives compared to our “home/office Zoom/Teams” life.