AssistKD Book Review 

How CEO Thinking could help Business Analysts

Byron Morrison's book 'Think like a CEO' has the tagline 'Stop reacting, get out of your own head and take control of your role'. This impactful statement recently caught my eye while scrolling through a list of business book recommendations.

I'm not a CEO and never have been, but I couldn't help being drawn to it. As a Business Analyst (BA) I was intrigued by what I, and our community, could learn from the book and on reading it – I wasn't disappointed. It's an absolute must-read for CEOs but is also packed with useful insights for all business professionals including managers, leaders and other executives.

Byron defines a CEO as a 'grounded leader and experienced problem solver' and explains that the use of reflection is key to self-improvement 'as most overwhelmed CEOs live in the past or the future' - a trap that we are all guilty of falling into from time to time.

Tools and Techniques for Business Leaders

Byron identifies a number of key areas that leaders need to focus on such as actions, behaviours and mindset and recommends several techniques which can be used by the CEO who wants to embark on a self-development journey. Two of the techniques include creating a reflection log and using a decision framework:

Reflection Log – Byron recommends keeping a daily reflection log to cultivate internal growth. He urges his CEO clients to note down three positive things that happened at the end of each day and three negative things, along with their 'responsibility' in making these things happen. This allows the CEO to really think about and reflect on their contribution in each instance, gain some perspective, learn from any mishaps and evolve their approach accordingly.

Decision Framework – Byron discusses strategic thinking and the part that well-considered decision-making plays in establishing the best possible business direction. The framework is comprised of four questions that the CEO needs to answer to help them take an analytical approach to solid decision making:

Firstly: if you take this action, what will happen?

Secondly: if you take this action, what won't happen?

Thirdly: if you don't take this action, what will happen?

And finally: if you don't take this action, what won't happen?

Answering these questions allows consideration of a decision from every angle, taking the potential outcomes and consequences into account. Processing this information should help to inform the most appropriate course of action.

The Benefits of Behaviour Management

In addition to journalling and reflection, Byron advocates for the benefits that behaviour management can bring. For example, he works with clients to help them audit and protect their valuable time so they can direct their full focus on the highest organisational priorities. He believes that 'when you focus on something, that's what you get more of' and talks about the danger of language traps which feed procrastination and the importance of positive self-talk and managing reactions appropriately to feel more in control and less overwhelmed. Byron also influences his clients to bite the bullet and get difficult conversations out of the way early to free up head space and alleviate anxiety.  

The Power of the CEO Mindset

Although I'm not the typical target audience I really enjoyed this book. Byron comes across as approachable, knowledgeable and a safe pair of hands for any business. The excellent book reviews for 'Think Like a CEO' very much support this viewpoint and are a testament to its success.

I believe that working with Byron and utilising his tools, techniques and easy-to-implement advice would be a huge benefit to any business leader and could really help to eradicate any mindset and performance blockages, enabling them to calmly drive their business forward.

On scanning the contents of the book some may feel that his advice is simplistic, but I would argue that if they are well executed, the simplest ideas are often the most powerful and effective.

I would recommend this book to prospective CEOs planning to setup or take over a business and to current CEOs in leadership positions. I look forward to reading other titles from Byron's 'Evolved CEO' book collection.

Are you thinking about updating your BA toolkit, gaining further professional qualifications, or offering training and development to your BA team? AssistKD offers a wide choice of business analysis training courses.