{"id":12741,"date":"2019-06-27T21:14:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T20:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gcp.igina.me\/?p=12741"},"modified":"2019-06-27T21:14:53","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T20:14:53","slug":"a-week-in-the-life-of-a-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/gcp-central-nieuws-nl\/a-week-in-the-life-of-a-ceo\/","title":{"rendered":"A week in the life of CEO Marieke Meulemans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.22.3&#8243;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.22.3&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.47&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.24.1&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221;]<p><!-- divi:paragraph --><strong><em>GCP Central is a bustling hive of daily activity, so what does a typical week in the life of a CEO look like?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading --><\/p>\n<h2>A week in the life of a CEO<\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:paragraph --><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><strong>Blog By Marieke Meuleman<\/strong>: As many of our readers will know, I\u2019ve been running <a href=\"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/\">GCP Central<\/a> since 2012, it\u2019s been an incredible journey that has led me and the business to where we stand today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->When asked to write this blog, I thought, \u201cwow, I\u2019ll never be able to put a typical week down to paper\u201d\u00a0 but the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how structured I have to be in my position to guide the business to reach our business goals and stay productive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->From managing legal contracts and agreements to business development partner meetings, legislation, orientating new staff members, KPIs, staff interviews, marketing collaborations, website improvements, bug fixes, and software development. There isn\u2019t really an area of the business that I don\u2019t come into contact with. So how do I do it?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading --><\/p>\n<h2><strong>My tips for staying on top of the workload<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading {\"level\":4} --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tip 1. Manage your time<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:paragraph -->For <span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">those who know me, they will know I am a true time management geek and I need to be, with the number of activities, responsibilities, and projects I have. I work in blocks of 1-hour max, and in that block, I work on activities like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Payments<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Administration\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Calling\/emailing customers<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Catch ups with the customer service department<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Creating business processes\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Reviewing project statuses<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">I try to stay ahead as much as possible by knowing what the coming weeks look like for me, the business, and my individual teams. This means I juggle a few Google Calendars where I schedule this planning in advance as much as possible. Having visibility allows me to keep on track, manage project deadlines, and also plan my life beyond the office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading {\"level\":4} --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tip 2. Resist the email anchor\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:paragraph -->I manage my inbox using the time management quadrant of Covey: emails (and of course phone calls and people standing at your desk) can be categorized into 4 categories:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Urgent and important<\/li>\n<li>Urgent and not important<\/li>\n<li>Not urgent and important<\/li>\n<li>Not urgent\/not important<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit;\">In the morning when I check my email, I answer all emails that can be done in 2 minutes.\u00a0 I flag all emails that are important and urgent in this case to answer that same day. All other emails and tasks that are less urgent I plan into blocks later that week or the following week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->Working like this makes sure the urgent and important activities are done and all other activities are planned when needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->Managing the expectations of co-workers and customers is highly important for me: I am eager to deliver good quality work in time and expect that from team members as well<a href=\"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/gcp-central-news\/the-business-values-that-drive-gcp-central\/\"> <\/a><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/gcp-central-news\/the-business-values-that-drive-gcp-central\/\">(another reason one of our business values is delivery counts!)<\/a>,<\/em><\/strong> that\u2019s why I spend time with both customers and my team to discuss timelines and together decide what steps need to be taken when to deliver the expected result in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading {\"level\":4} --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tip 3. Keep meetings to a minimum<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:paragraph --><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Like emails, meetings can also claim a lot of your time. A helpful tip is to adopt a \u201cno agenda, no attendance\u201d policy:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->If the meeting host doesn\u2019t share an agenda beforehand that makes it clear what the meeting is about and what they need, I don\u2019t attend.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading {\"level\":4} --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tip 4. Trust in the team you\u2019ve built<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:paragraph --><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">When I started GCP Central, the company was still small and I was able to manage most of the tasks myself. And as I was responsible for the build of the myGCP learning system and the learning method, I know all features of the system by heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->Transferring that knowledge to team members takes time, requires training, needs documentation of processes, and in turn, lots of meetings. It\u2019s tempting to solve a problem myself since I know what to do and sometimes explaining takes more time than solving it. But in the end, that doesn\u2019t help me or the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->I believe that the critical path in growing a company is hiring people with skills that I don\u2019t have. I am proud of my team and their skills, my job is to give them all the knowledge and facilities to excel in their jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->The result? Both smooth business operations and happy customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading {\"level\":4} --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Wind down<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:paragraph --><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Managing work-life balance is tough and there have been periods of time that I worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. That had a massive impact on my energy level and my life: less time for my wife and friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->I am lucky that I\u2019m surrounded by people that understand my ambition and have supported me. Now that the organization has grown and I have optimized my time management skills, even more, it\u2019s a bit better. My current \u201crule\u201d is to only work on weekdays between 7am-7pm, giving me enough time in the evenings and weekends for dinner, sports, and relaxation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><!-- divi:paragraph -->Getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and being active in sports are really important to me and keep me going. I play field hockey twice a week and try to go running in the forest early in the morning (goal = at least twice a week). What a great way to start your day! I highly recommend this.\u00a0 What else? At least once a month I take a day off and go to the beach to focus on my personal goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:heading {\"level\":4} --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Tools to assist\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/divi:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- divi:paragraph --><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Another useful tip is to make the most of all the amazing digital tools out there, here&#8217;s a selection of my favorites.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.asana.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Asana<\/a> &#8211; Project management system (free version)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">iPhone notes &#8211; I\u2019m often on the road so notes is a great friend to me, The dictating function is great for when you\u2019re driving!<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">Couldn\u2019t live without my Google Calendar and iCal. I plan everything in blocks<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;\">So, there you have it &#8211; a week in the life of a CEO, and my top tips for staying on top of the workload. Running a business is challenging but highly rewarding, and I hope a peek into my life inspires anyone who&#8217;s thinking of starting on their own, to go for it!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/divi:paragraph --><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GCP Central is a bustling hive of daily activity, so what does a typical week in the life of a CEO look like? A week in the life of a CEO Blog By Marieke Meuleman: As many of our readers will know, I\u2019ve been running GCP Central since 2012, it\u2019s been an incredible journey that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong><em>GCP Central is a bustling hive of daily activity, so what does a typical week in the life of a CEO look like?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>A week in the life of a CEO<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Blog By Marieke Meuleman<\/strong>: As many of our readers will know, I\u2019ve been running <a href=\"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/\">GCP Central<\/a> since 2012, it\u2019s been an incredible journey that has led me and the business to where we stand today.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>When asked to write this blog, I thought, \u201cwow, I\u2019ll never be able to put a typical week down to paper\u201d\u00a0 but the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how structured I have to be in my position to guide the business to reach our business goals and stay productive.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>From managing legal contracts and agreements to business development partner meetings, legislation, orientating new staff members, KPIs, staff interviews, marketing collaborations, website improvements, bug fixes, and software development. There isn\u2019t really an area of the business that I don\u2019t come into contact with. So how do I do it?\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2><strong>My tips for staying on top of the workload<\/strong><\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":4} -->\n<h4><strong>Tip 1.Manage your time<\/strong><\/h4>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>For those who know me, they will know I am a true time management geek and I need to be, with the number of activities, responsibilities, and projects I have. I work in blocks of 1-hour max, and in that block, I work on activities like:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul><li>Payments<\/li><li>Administration&nbsp;<\/li><li>Calling\/emailing customers<\/li><li>Catch ups with the customer service department<\/li><li>Creating business processes&nbsp;<\/li><li>Reviewing project statuses<\/li><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I try to stay ahead as much as possible by knowing what the coming weeks look like for me, the business, and my individual teams. This means I juggle a few Google Calendars where I schedule this planning in advance as much as possible. Having visibility allows me to keep on track, manage project deadlines, and also plan my life beyond the office.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":4} -->\n<h4><strong>Tip 2. Resist the email anchor\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I manage my inbox using the time management quadrant of Covey: emails (and of course phone calls and people standing at your desk) can be categorized into 4 categories:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list {\"ordered\":true} -->\n<ol><li>Urgent and important<\/li><li>Urgent and not important<\/li><li>Not urgent and important<\/li><li>Not urgent\/not important<\/li><\/ol>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In the morning when I check my email, I answer all emails that can be done in 2 minutes.\u00a0 I flag all emails that are important and urgent in this case to answer that same day. All other emails and tasks that are less urgent I plan into blocks later that week or the following week.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Working like this makes sure the urgent and important activities are done and all other activities are planned when needed. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Managing the expectations of co-workers and customers is highly important for me: I am eager to deliver good quality work in time and expect that from team members as well<a href=\"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/gcp-central-news\/the-business-values-that-drive-gcp-central\/\"> <\/a><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/gcp-central-news\/the-business-values-that-drive-gcp-central\/\">(another reason one of our business values is delivery counts!)<\/a>,<\/em><\/strong> that\u2019s why I spend time with both customers and my team to discuss timelines and together decide what steps need to be taken when to deliver the expected result in time.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":4} -->\n<h4><strong>Tip 3. Keep meetings to a minimum<\/strong><\/h4>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Like emails, meetings can also claim a lot of your time. A helpful tip is to adopt a \u201cno agenda, no attendance\u201d policy:\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>If the meeting host doesn\u2019t share an agenda beforehand that makes it clear what the meeting is about and what they need, I don\u2019t attend.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":4} -->\n<h4><strong>Tip 4. Trust in the team you\u2019ve built<\/strong><\/h4>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>When I started GCP Central, the company was still small and I was able to manage most of the tasks myself. And as I was responsible for the build of the myGCP learning system and the learning method, I know all features of the system by heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Transferring that knowledge to team members takes time, requires training, needs documentation of processes, and in turn, lots of meetings. It\u2019s tempting to solve a problem myself since I know what to do and sometimes explaining takes more time than solving it. But in the end, that doesn\u2019t help me or the team. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I believe that the critical path in growing a company is hiring people with skills that I don\u2019t have. I am proud of my team and their skills, my job is to give them all the knowledge and facilities to excel in their jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The result? Both smooth business operations and happy customers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":4} -->\n<h4><strong>5. Wind down<\/strong><\/h4>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Managing work-life balance is tough and there have been periods of time that I worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. That had a massive impact on my energy level and my life: less time for my wife and friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I am lucky that I\u2019m surrounded by people that understand my ambition and have supported me. Now that the organization has grown and I have optimized my time management skills, even more, it\u2019s a bit better. My current \u201crule\u201d is to only work on weekdays between 7am-7pm, giving me enough time in the evenings and weekends for dinner, sports, and relaxation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and being active in sports are really important to me and keep me going. I play field hockey twice a week and try to go running in the forest early in the morning (goal = at least twice a week). What a great way to start your day! I highly recommend this.&nbsp; What else? At least once a month I take a day off and go to the beach to focus on my personal goals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":4} -->\n<h4><strong>6. Tools to assist\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Another useful tip is to make the most of all the amazing digital tools out there, here's a selection of my favorites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.asana.com\">Asana<\/a> - Project management system (free version)<\/li><li>iPhone notes - I\u2019m often on the road so notes is a great friend to me, The dictating function is great for when you\u2019re driving!\u00a0<\/li><li>Couldn\u2019t live without my Google Calendar and iCal. I plan everything in blocks<\/li><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>So, there you have it - a week in the life of a CEO, and my top tips for staying on top of the workload. Running a business is challenging but highly rewarding, and I hope a peek into my life inspires anyone whos thinking of starting on their own, to go for it!<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[87,106,132,133],"class_list":["post-12741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gcp-central-nieuws-nl","tag-gcp-nl","tag-gcpcentral-nl","tag-life-of-a-ceo-nl","tag-marieke-meuleman-nl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcpcentral.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}