1) The role of the CEO is evolving as organizations change and become more collaborative. Traditionally, an organization had one CEO but roles are blending and everyone must contribute to business goals and strategy. 2) As organizations flatten, everyone must take on responsibilities of a CEO by managing dependencies, delivering measurable results, and focusing on excellence, innovation, and ecosystem partnerships beyond just their own role. 3) Being a CEO is increasingly a mindset of leadership, accountability, and driving excellence that everyone should adopt, not just a formal title. Designated CEOs must also foster an environment where others can excel in CEO-like roles.

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Article Title: Evolving role of the CEO
URL: http://dqindia.ciol.commakesections.asp/10062206.asp
Section: Focus
Author Name:
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A CEO by definition is someone who is the overall head of an organization and responsible for the entire organizations
operationsbe it sales, marketing, finance, human resources, delivery, customer support, alliances, product management, quality,
etc.
The Evolving Role
Traditionally, there has always been one CEO for an organization. Each organization may be a part of a larger group of
companies, however one organization has one CEO. As an exception to this, Azim Premjis successful concept of duo CEO is
quite encouraging and aspiring. It is easier said than done.
Here, it is an effort to open a dialog and a discussion onIs CEO a title or a mindset. In todays global and competitive world,
everyone (as an individual or as a team) in an organization (just to set the terms of reference right, especially beyond a certain
level in the organization) necessarily sells and competesboth internally as well as externally. One may have internal customers
and/or external customers. Everyone has to sell and compete for their respective visibility and growth within the organization,
industry, and marketplace as a whole.
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2. The concept of back-end function is no more relevant. Everyone in the organization is expected to be an integral part of business
strategy and execution. Everyone, irrespective of function, has to align oneself (as individuals and teams) with business vision,
goals and objectives. Everyone is expected to add value in the entire supply chain in delivering goods/services to end customers.
Quality and finance are examples of such a gradual change.
Finance is not about cost control, but it is all about adding value in winning businesses and achieving higher bottomline through
excellence. Everyone in the organization has to be cautious about productivity of cost (PoC) and not necessarily reducing cost.
Cost optimization helps both ways: a) optimal utilization of resources, hence higher efficiency and enhanced effectiveness; and b)
straight contribution to the bottomline. Cost optimization at work is no different than managing money matters in personal life. It is
a matter of extending the personal standards and practices at workplace.
Leading from the Front
Beyond a point, by far, everyone has people reporting to. Team size is a factor of discipline/function, organization size, level in
the organization. However, the fact remains that one needs to look into individuals issues like welfare, personal and career
growth, grooming, training and orientation, compensation, etc. Being the leader at the helm for the people reporting, one has the
ownership and commitment to its people. At times, a leader needs to also touch upon personal aspects of his/her team mates. A
leader should understand his/her people in the best way; hence one can decide things most appropriately for team mates.
Therefore, people look at the leader for anything and everything.
Qualitative assessment and people surviving/growing on whims and fancies is a concept of yesteryear. Slowly, it is vanishing and
losing its space. It is all about keep achieving higher excellence and strive for enhanced contribution in the organizations growth.
Everyone has to keep delivering absolutely measurable and quantifiable results. Innovation has to come from within and the spirit
of competing should be kept on. However, here is a word of caution here; it has to be positive and constructive competitiveness.
Negative pressures can be counter-productive and killing for not only the individuals but also the organization. Continuous
building of leadership and higher excellence within (as an individual and/or teams) is the name of the game.
Managing the Ecosystem
Everyone has certain defined and mutually agreed key result areas (KRA) to deliver within the organization. Most activities have
set of dependencies. The dependencies could be internal and/or external within team/organization/industry/marketplace. That is
where the challenge lies. A fact still remains: everyone is expected to manage these dependencies and deliver results.
Dependencies cannot be reasons for non-delivery and/or non-performance. It is both science and art to manage these challenges
as they are evolutionary in nature. As one grows and progresses, challenges keep changing. In todays ever competitive world,
just doing the best and not managing the ecosystem in terms of working together and positioning does not work fully; on the
contrary only managing ecosystem and not delivering is certainly not long lasting as well. The former scenario pays in the long
run, but it is important to manage even in the short term to remain meaningful in the long term perspective; however, the latter
can only be a short term phenomenon. Perception matters, hence one needs to look into perception aspect as well let it be
unconsciously and business as usual.
Todays world is all about working in the ecosystem with extended stakeholders as supplier and/or customer. The art of building
and managing alliances and partners are the growing needs of the hour. The role of alliances and partners is quite significant in
delivering ones results in todays context. The alliances and partners again could be internal and/or external; however managing
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3. ecosystem beyond being opportunistic is very critical and crucial.
A Mindgame
So, is CEO a title or a mindset? Few will continue to be CEO by title, but why should the rest feel deprived of being a CEO. In
ones own way, everyone can be a CEO in action and spirit. However, the truth will prevail that everyone will not become a
designated CEO.
Being a CEO or not being a CEO is a mind game. One might be a designated as a CEO, but still not a CEO in action and spirit;
while some can be CEO through their action and leadership qualities; despite not being formally designated as a CEO. One of
the very critical characteristics of a CEO (designated or in mindset) would continue to be insecurity management. Higher the
level, higher will be the insecurities.
Everyone in the organization (just to reiterate certainly beyond a level) needs to perform like a CEO. A small pointer here:
everyone shall be a CEO in ones given perspective. The KRA(s) and key performance indicators (KPIs) for everyone shall fall in
line with the level and function of the person. Strategic areas for a certain level could be tactical for the next level, and may not be
even a point of discussion at a level beyond. Project managers, location heads, head of logical groups within a functionare
among good starting point in terms of profile for everyone to start acting like CEO. The point being driven here is that everyone
must see beyond and not just keep looking at under ones nose. Everyone has a much larger responsibility (unwritten but logically
driven) than just a written piece of statement through statement of work (SOW).
As a CEO has to perform sales and marketing function in response to their respective industry and market share, people in the
organization have to achieve so versus their peers within and across functions and the marketplace. A CEO always keeps his/her
ears and eyes on critical functions like HR and finance. Everyone in the organization needs to do so for their own function/activity.
A CEO always focuses on excellence in manufacturing and delivery; everyone in the organization needs to continue to deliver
excellence. CEO is responsible to the companys shareholders for excellence in everything, in the same way everyone equally
responsible for their own teams and contribution in the entire ecosystem within the organization.
It is now equally important and significant for designated a CEO to offer a comprehensive and conducive environment to the
people in the organization to perform and excel. If people concerned in the organization become CEO actors, the pressure and
challenge would be on designated CEO(s) to keep ever-evolving their own definition of a CEO. A designated CEO must lead by
examplein terms of the way he/she walks, talks, laughs and communicates!
Sudhir Aggarwal
The author was heading Sifys governance business previously
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in
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