Chief Executive Officer | Strategic Growth

The CEO is responsible for making sure that everyone has what they need to bring their expertise and efforts to bear on our shared endeavor. They also ensure that everyone in the company is pulling in the same direction by aligning everyone’s individual needs with our collective goals, and by articulating a compelling mission.

Responsibilities

Ensure we have what we need to build and sustain a great organization

  • Set the intent, provide the tools, and create the social expectations for a respectful and inclusive culture
  • Make sure that we’re collectively and individually well-supported for work-life balance through tools and policies
  • Facilitate collaboration throughout the company
  • Plan for the company’s long-term success, and ensure that everyone on the team benefits
  • Champion the company to external audiences

Ensure we have what we need to build a great product

  • Recruitment of mission-aligned talent
  • Prudent fiscal and operational management
  • Resource-raising
  • Ensure we’re primed to listen to the customer
  • Set the long-term mission and vision, and ensure that these respond to internal and external stakeholders and market conditions
  • Champion the product to external audiences

Skills & Competencies

In addition to shared-competencies for “managers of one,” the CEO is expected to demonstrate

Founder Competencies

  • Entrepreneurial Spirit
  • Mission-Driven Leadership
  • Cultural Architect
  • Ecosystem Building
  • Personal Commitment

Horizontal Leadership Competencies

  • Results Delivery
  • Strategic Vision
  • Risk Awareness and Management
  • Customer Focus
  • Best-Practices Orientation
  • Collaborative Leadership
  • Transparency Promotion
  • Adaptive Problem-Solving
  • Continuous Learning and Development

as well as:

Strategic Planning and Future Orientation

  • Ability to look down the road and plan for the future.

  • Behaviors:

    • Anticipates market trends
    • Assesses risks and opportunities
    • Connects the dots from today to the long-term vision

Team Building

  • Ability to facilitate teamwork and personal growth.

  • Behaviors:

    • Keeps team focused on the same goals
    • Checks in with team members’ needs and responds to them

Intrepid Decision-making

  • Ability to make decisions and take action with prudence and speed.

  • Behaviors:

    • Takes calculated, but not careless risks
    • Pursues opportunities with optimism
    • Balances decisiveness with inclusiveness

(Paraphrased and/or borrowed from Inc. and Russell Reynolds)