The title Chief Executive Officer is something of a misnomer. The task of a CEO — and for that matter of any manager — is not wholly or even primarily about execution. In fact, when the CEO starts to “do” things, and starts becoming more “active,” that is usually when a company gets into trouble. An effective CEO makes things happen principally through his executive colleagues, aptly called “Chiefs” too: the CFO, CCO, and COO. Of course, given that these team members are Chiefs as well, they also should not be doing too much, either. Their job is to make sure that, in turn, their teams do most of the “execution” work. And so on.
The Problem with the CEO’s Job Title
The chief executive shouldn’t be doing the executing.
November 07, 2013
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What you need to know about being in charge.