As a member of the upper end of the Millennial generation, the author has observed an overuse of the title “CEO” among their peers. The author defines the traditional role of a CEO as the highest-ranking executive in a corporation, responsible for making strategic decisions, reporting to the board of directors, and being the public face and voice of the organization. The author cites leaders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Andy Grove as examples of truly visionary CEOs who were able to create and innovate, inspire their teams, and achieve extraordinary things.
The author believes that many Millennials call themselves CEOs to sound important, even if they are running fledgling businesses out of their parents’ basements. They argue that the title of CEO should be earned and that there are three primary obstacles that need to be overcome: shifting focus from working “in the business” to working “on the business,” having enough full-time staff to abstract the delivery work, and having the confidence to lead with earned experience rather than platitudes and anecdotes.
The author shares their own experience of building their business from a fledgling dream into a legitimate employer of many dozens of equally talented and passionate people. They explain that they were often asked why their title was not “CEO,” but they felt that they had not yet earned the title.
They eventually earned the right to stand among other heads of industry and call themselves a chief executive officer with their integrity intact after 12 years in business. They believe that being a CEO is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly and that they plan to continue to earn the confidence and respect required to live up to that title every day.
