EVOLVING ROLE OF THE CEO
RC: In what way is the role of the CEO evolving in today’s business environment? What factors are driving this evolution?
Emery: Social media is one of the biggest changes in the business world and today the demand to always be ‘on’ is unlike any time in the past. The old days of prepping for prime time are long gone and CEOs have got to be prepared to think, speak and act faster than ever before with a good bet that whatever they do will be tweeted, videoed or recorded. Today’s CEO must be very well versed in all aspects of social media and be prepared to handle every meeting as if they were on stage with ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ ranking them in real time on every move. Today more than ever before, communication is key and a steady constant message repeated over and over is the way to spark the memory banks of employees, clients, competitors and collaborators. Media and instant judgement are here to stay, and using both to your advantage will make the difference, along with positioning and crisp sharp marketing assistance, utilising the latest technology and exquisite branding to remain top of mind with all of the above. There has never been a better time to be a commercial thinking CEO. The marketing team is experiencing prime time as they craft differentiation for your company and show your company’s ‘heart’. The old elevator pitch has been edited further and CEOs must get the message out to everyone in the company first and make certain that their culture matches their branding and that everyone in the company understands and works together to be on message. Now is the time to deeply understand, study and adjust your culture, and this starts with researching inside and out, and correcting any misperceptions. Then, look at your brand and adjust to make it pop when being compared to competitors and customers. One of the things that stands out most to me is the notion that CEOs don’t have to sell inside their companies.
Jan-Mar 2016 Issue
Caldwell Partners