How to Know You Are a Successful CEO

Most jobs have a feedback mechanism built in, even if it’s just the occasional 1-on-1 with a manager. Not so with the CEO job. The closest thing you have to a “boss” is the board, and you see them once a quarter or so. If you want performance feedback from them, you’ll probably have to ask—and even then, they don’t see how you operate day to day.

However, there are many subtle signals that you’re being successful in your role as CEO. If multiple of the below things are happening regularly—even the couple that might at first look like negatives—I encourage you to take them as signs you are likely being effective as CEO.

Other companies try to recruit away your employees. I often hear CEOs gripe about their best people getting tempting offers from competitors. Is this frustrating? Yes. But as I always tell those CEOs, it shows that you’ve done a good job building up your talent bench and that your competitors are noticing. The time to worry is when no one’s trying to win away your team me…