CEO ≠ Business starter

Before we start, TDPK would like to touch upon the differences between these two positions. What are their different skills?

CEO, or chief executive officer, is the highest management position in an organization. The person will have the power to decide on all management-related decisions, whether it is about profit-making, financial loss, income, operation, strategy, as well as other matters directly associated with the company. Therefore, this person must have a high leadership skill and, preferably, a business degree such as an MBA.

On the other hand, business starter, or founder of a company, is the one with ideas, creativity, and fresh visions. He or she is the person who designs the culture of the organization.

For the survival of a company, creativity and sense of initiation may not be enough for a business starter to successfully sit in the position of the CEO. Thus, it is no surprise if a business starter doesn’t make a good CEO. Business management requires a wide range of skillsets as well as great leadership skills. The person is expected to be able to make swift, important decisions based on the company’s development objectives. Therefore, it is rather interesting when business starters choose to hire experienced CEOs to manage the company instead of doing it themselves.

A good example of a CEO ≠ business starter situation is one from a global search engine company like Google, which was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They, however, gave the most important management role to Sundar Pichai, an Indian engineer. Amongst the CEO’s list of achievements, he was the mastermind behind Chrome, a platform that drove incredible income to Google.

The founders of Google delegated this huge task to Sundar because they want to focus on new projects and innovations for the firm under the mother company, Alphabet, rather than merely signing documents after documents. They do not want to carry the management duties. By putting the right man on the job, Page and Brin could choose to do what they do best.

What are the skills a good CEO need? 

True Digital Park believes that to drive a company towards success, a good CEO must be experienced, have a broad vision, and constantly look for new strategies to tackle challenges.

Additionally, a good CEO must be perceptive and able to bring out the best of his or her employees. At the same time, he or she must also have effective communication skills so that staff could implement instructions accordingly.

While it is important that the CEO is a great communicator, he or she must also be a good listener, constantly look for new management approaches, and be able to maintain favorable relationships between customers, colleagues, and staff. Moreover, a professional CEO must also work on creating a positive image, credibility, and trust of the company in the long run.

Lastly, TDPK recommends that whether you are a CEO or a business starter, choose what makes you happy and what is best for you.