Originally posted on Linkedin Pulse. 

Creating engagement with CEO’s is harder that you think.

Whenever I have been approached as the CEO of Ideahaus®, it is usually by a sales agent from one company or another. An apologetic excuse for the interruption or short introduction is quickly followed by the offer of something I most often did not ask for or do not need. LinkedIn is the most violated of my CEO spaces, my email inbox a close second.

The not-too-distant third is the events I attend with other CEO’s to learn and discuss more about CEO-things, like organizational structures, strategic best practices and the like. Often facilitated by organizations, it’s hard enough for them to attract me let alone keep me coming back because I just don’t realize the value from the time invested – I could have been working on my company.

I have been fortunate to participate in CEO organizations over the years, like Vistage, Karma International and Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO). I’ve seen the value in what they do, and in other efforts here and there, and look to learn from what works, and what could work better.

My colleagues have reported some of the same in anecdotal shares over stiff drinks in executive clubs, or in first class on the way back to our respective headquarters. From “look at this,” to “Son of a…” we share stories from the frontline of the assaults from the all fronts, all for just having the title of “CEO.” 

Given the distractions that follow the title, we remain focused on our primary responsibility: leading the company to success (whatever that may mean). So, with the distractions from afar, and the everyday battles that come from inside our own walls, how does one get a CEO to actually engage?

I’ve decided to find out. In a new effort titled, "Creating Engagement with CEO's - Understanding the Needs of Leaders," I'm going to explore just what it would take to get CEO's to jump off the hamster wheel and engage.

I want to learn, “How do you create engagement with CEO’s? What does an organization have to provide to attract, engage and retain CEO members over time?" 

Over the next several weeks I’ll be writing posts to generate a discussion with CEO’s, as well as the leadership of organizations that serve a CEO membership. I’ll be posting questions, sharing polls, asking for interviews, and reaching out to member of experienced organizations to learn more about the elusive leaders and what they need to prioritize activity with others within the structure of an organization.

If you’re a CEO or work with an organization that serves CEO’s I’d like to speak with you. A quick email, or brief call or maybe a GoTo meeting to talk about this face-to-face: whatever you need to engage with me I’m ready to engage with you. Let’s see what we can learn, together, about #creatingengagement with CEO’s.