by Mark Moses, Entrepreneur and CEO Coach at CEO Coaching International

When I was kid back in Canada we used to play a game in the snow called “King of the Hill.” It was pretty simple. One kid would stand on the top of a hill and everyone else would try to push him off and become the new “King of the Hill.” Business can be like that, too.

Getting to the top in your business arena is hard, but staying there is even harder. You’ve got a bullseye on your back. Everybody is gunning for you. Everybody wants a piece of your business. And while you’re busy trying to keep your business in top shape, you can’t let your personal life and health fall apart either.

This past year has been a big one for me. I turned 50, I wrote a bestselling book called Make Big Happen, and the CEOs we coach from around the world are more successful than ever. At the 3rd annual CEO Coaching International Summit last month, I was touched by the important achievements of our client CEOs who truly Make Big Happen.

As I reflected on the past 12 months, I thought about what our CEO clients have in common; what is it that enables them to succeed year after year in a BIG way? I realized the most successful CEOs we coach use the following strategies.

Asking the Four Make Big Happen Questions

On a regular basis, our top clients focus on answering the following four questions from my book, Make Big Happen. These simple questions get to the heart of your business and keep you on track and accountable for getting results year after year.

1. What do you want?
2. What do you have to do?
3. What could get in the way?
4. How do you hold yourself accountable?

Focusing on Five Keys to Success

The winning CEOs also keep their focus sharp in five key areas. We’ve documented a distinct correlation between a business’s success and its discipline in focusing on these five keys.

1. Vision: Using the Crystal Ball Exercise to get clear on what you want and the specific and measurable activities that will lead to that outcome.  
2. Cash: Knowing the numbers and the top drivers of profitability.
3. Right People in the Right Jobs: Recognizing that the same strategy, tactics, and people that got you here won’t get you there. Top CEOs continually upgrade their talent and have an intentional culture of performance.
4. Focus on Key Relationships: Winning firms strategically invest in their most meaningful relationships to grow their partnerships and alliances.
5. Continuous Learning: Leaders are always learning and investing in training and coaching for their teams.

Life, of course, is not all about business success. Turning 50 caused me to take a closer look at where I am in my personal relationships, my health, and my overall lifestyle. Am I putting just as much if not more energy in those areas of my life as I am in my work? Here are five insights about life that really hit home with me in the past year.

Living Life by Design is a Choice

Creating a life by design or doing nothing is a choice we all make. We each have the same opportunity to design the life we want. Are you being intentional about your lifestyle choices?

Money Comes and Goes, But Time Only Goes

We all have the talent and skill to make more money, but none of us will ever be able to create more time. Are you investing your time wisely?

Prioritizing Meaningful Relationships

When you’re at the top, everybody want’s a piece of you. Today, I strive for quality over quantity in my personal relationships and the time I invest in them.  

Commitment to Health

We are all tempted to put business first and prioritize our health “later,” but if we live our lives out of balance, later may never come. We all know someone whose “later” never came.

Life is Short

No one is promised tomorrow so we need to make each day one that we’re proud of and one where our loved ones know how much they really mean to us.

The last year has been full of milestones to be grateful for and accomplishments to celebrate. As I look back, I am most thankful for my health, my family, and those of you I am privileged to share this journey with.

What have you learned in the past year? Share your experience with me in the comments section.

About Mark Moses

Mark Moses is the Founding Partner of CEO Coaching International and the Amazon Bestselling author of Make Big Happen. His firm coaches over 100 of the world’s top high-growth entrepreneurs and CEO’s on how to dramatically grow their revenues and profits, implement the most effective strategies, becoming better leaders, grow their people, build accountability systems, and elevate their own performance. Mark has won Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Blue Chip Enterprise award for overcoming adversity. His last company ranked #1 Fastest-Growing Company in Los Angeles as well as #10 on the Inc. 500 of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. He has completed 12 full distance Ironman Triathlons including the Hawaii Ironman World Championship 5 times.