Are you really a CEO?

I recently attended an event where half the people at the event introduced themselves as CEOs of their respective businesses, and sometimes CEOs of multiple businesses. I was a little intimidated even as I thought what to introduce myself as, but then it got me thinking. What’s the definition of a CEO? In my opinion there are a few basics that must be in place for one to truly be a CEO:

1. A team: CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer. The title “Chief” implies you have “subjects” who work for you and report to you. As to how big a team one should have to be called a CEO, that’s open to interpretation. However, there should be some sort of heirachy. If you have a team of one or even three staff members who are significantly lower in level than you, it seems a bit inflated (to me) to call yourself a “Chief”. But then again, that’s just me.
2. Requisite expertise : When you introduce yourself as a CEO , there is the expectation that you’re quite knowledgeable in your business area, and not only can you hold a decent conversation on it, but you can also train and develop your team to excellence. If you are still learning, then maybe a bit of modesty is called for.
3. An actual business: This seems obvious right? You cannot be a CEO of a business that doesn’t exist! If you are successful at one task that makes you famous, that doesn’t make you a CEO, it just makes you a person that was incredibly successful at one task and people know him/her for it. The basics must be in place (company structure, an actual product, business plan, and like I said above, a team!)
4. CEO of several businesses? I am not sure how effectively one can be a CEO of several successful businesses at the same time. I run one business, and it is almost a 24 hour job. But then, maybe I have limited intellectual capacity. Heading a business and doing it well takes significant brain power, I am not sure you can head 3 or 4 of them and still have a life. Even Richard Branson introduces himself as Founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group and not the CEO of all of them. Warren Buffet is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and in turn he has CEOs who run the  companies he has invested in.

There are several other things that come to mind, but if the above are true for your and your oeganization, maybe you can introduce yourself as a CEO at the next meet and greet.Personally, that’s a title I would use sparingly, especially when I measure myself against giants that have earned the right to use the title based on track record, and also, this is the 21st Century, who cares about titles?

Am I a CEO? Nope: I run a business, and manage people. When introducing myself, I prefer to say what I do on a daily basis, as opposed to my job title and company name. People are more likely to remember the former and it’s more useful than a title.

If you must use a title and CEO doesn’t quite fit, you can say Founder, or Creator of xxxxx product or organization.  It isn’t as fancy as CEO, but it is an actual representation of who you are.

I leave you with a couple of tweets by Sunny Bindra that resonated with me last evening.

“Don’t measure your leadership in income statements. Even a mediocrity can clock the profits when the timing is right”

“Don’t measure your leadership in the size of your car. A better leader created the company that sold it to you.” Dare I add the number of gadgets you own?

Don’t measure your leadership in the loudness of your voice. The best leadership is silent and happens unseen.

Don’t measure your leadership at all. Just do the right things quietly and someday your worth will be obvious.