She Put Her Purse Down…Then She Didn’t Know What Came Next

Childcare CEOs, what happens after you arrive at your company in the morning?

You walk in.

Put your purse down.

Put your drink down.

Check your email.

And then… what?

That simple question created a powerful moment inside Dr. Andrea Dickerson’s CEO Command training because it exposed something many childcare CEOs have never been taught:

What does the CEO actually do every day?

The Purse and Pepsi Moment

While teaching her CEOs about the CEO Command Model, Dr. Andrea asked a simple question:

“When you arrive at your company in the morning, what do you actually do as the CEO?”

One CEO responded:

“Wait a minute now… I come in, put my purse down, put my Pepsi down…”

Everyone laughed.

But the laughter revealed something serious.

When it came time to explain the structured CEO routine that followed, there wasn’t one.

Another CEO said she comes in, sits at her desk, and checks her emails.

And that’s when the real issue became clear.

These weren’t women who didn’t know how to run businesses.

They had built childcare companies.

They had created teams.

They had served families.

They had grown organizations.

But nobody had ever taught them how to operate their own day as the CEO.

We Teach Everyone Else How to Start the Day

Think about how much structure exists for everyone else inside a childcare organization.

Teachers have classroom opening procedures.

Directors have building opening responsibilities.

Teams have staffing procedures.

There are licensing requirements.

There are opening checklists.

There are closing checklists.

There are procedures for classrooms, staffing, compliance, and daily operations.

But where is the CEO’s operating routine?

Where is the structure that tells the CEO:

What should I review first?
What should I know about yesterday?
What are my priorities today?
Which reports should I review?
Which location needs my attention?
What does my leadership team need from me?
What decisions need to be made?

That’s CEO work.

Your Day Cannot Begin With Someone Else’s Emergency

One of the biggest leadership shifts CEOs must make is understanding that their morning should not begin with reaction.

If the first thing you do is check:

Who emailed me?
Who called me?
Who needs something?
What’s wrong today?
Which employee has an issue?

You’ve immediately allowed someone else to take command of your day.

CEO leadership requires a different starting point.

Your morning should begin with understanding your company.

What happened yesterday?

What is happening today?

What are the reports telling you?

Where is your attention needed?

What decisions require your leadership?

What does your leadership team need from you?

That’s the difference between being busy and being in command.

The CEO Needs an Operating Routine Too

Childcare CEOs spend so much time creating systems for their teams that they sometimes forget to create systems for themselves.

But if the CEO doesn’t have a structured operating rhythm, the organization becomes reactive at the top.

And when the CEO is reactive, everyone beneath the CEO feels it.

A CEO operating routine creates:

Clarity
Prioritization
Visibility
Decision-making
Leadership alignment
Strategic focus

It allows the CEO to enter the organization already knowing what needs attention instead of waiting for the business to tell them.

That’s command.

The Purse Moment Exposed a Bigger Industry Problem

The CEO putting down her purse and Pepsi gave everyone a good laugh.

But it exposed something much bigger.

There are childcare owners running million-dollar organizations who have never been given a structured way to operate their own day.

And that doesn’t mean they’re incapable.

It means the industry has spent years teaching people how to operate childcare centers without teaching the owner how to lead the company above the centers.

We’ve taught people how to open classrooms.

We’ve taught people how to manage staff.

We’ve taught people how to follow licensing procedures.

But CEOs also need to know how to lead the organization.

That’s what CEO Command is designed to change.

What Happens After You Put Your Purse Down?

Tomorrow morning, when you arrive at your company, pause before opening your email.

Ask yourself:

What happens next?

What do you review?

What do you measure?

What do you prioritize?

What decisions do you make?

What leadership do you provide?

If you don’t have a structured answer, that’s not a reason to feel embarrassed.

It’s an opportunity to build one.

Because the CEO should not simply arrive at the business.

The CEO should arrive with command.

Build Your CEO Operating Rhythm

The CEO Growth Session is designed to help childcare CEOs strengthen the leadership systems that allow them to lead their organizations with structure, clarity, and confidence.

Inside the CEO Growth Session, you’ll begin developing the executive mindset and operating systems needed to move beyond daily reaction and into intentional leadership.

Because your team has an opening routine.

Your classrooms have an opening routine.

Your locations have an opening routine.

Your CEO role should have one too.

So tomorrow morning, after you put your purse down, ask yourself: