CEO is the acronym for Chief ANDexecutive EITHERfficer in English and, translated into Spanish, means chief executive or executive director. If you want to know more about it, stay with us until the end of this post!
With the popularization of startups, this American term, which represents the main executive position of a company, began to become popular in other countries as well.
If you are already familiar with the corporate world and the you must have already heard this term around.
The new figure of the CEO of startups, a friendly and self-assured leader who is generally the face of the company in the market, was established recently with the help of Steve Jobs, one of the most important CEOs in history.
Currently, we see several people in who define themselves as CEO in their profiles. But do you know exactly what this position means, what its functions are and what characteristics a Chief Executive Officer should have?
That is what we are going to tell you in this post. Follow us!
What is the CEO?
As we said, the acronym CEO corresponds in Spanish to something like chief executive or executive director. He is the highest position in a company, responsible for market strategies, the general management of the company and for making major corporate decisions.
In addition, the CEO, in general, is a very charismatic leader, who deals with external relations and is a spokesperson for the company in the media.
Many times, the CEO is the founder of the company. However, this is not necessarily a rule. It may be that the founder himself does not have the necessary characteristics to fulfill this role.
Other acronyms for leadership in business
In addition to CEO, there are other acronyms to designate the other of a company, such as CTO, CMO, COO, CFO, CIO and CHRO. Are we going to understand what each one means?
COO
It means Chief Operating Officer and can be translated as chief of operations. He is the CEO’s right arm and responsible for all operations within the company.
CTO
CTO is the acronym for Chief Technology Officer, or, said in Spanish, head of technology. He is the leader responsible for all technology strategies, technological advancement and web development of the company.
CMO
This is the acronym for Chief Marketing Officer, which in Spanish would be head of marketing. He is the director responsible for all marketing of the company.
CFO
It is the Chief Financial Officer, or head of finances. That is, he is responsible for the planning and financial control of the company.
CIO
Chief Information Officer, or head of information, is responsible for the company’s computer systems.
CHRO
It is the acronym for Chief Human Resources Officer or head of human resources. This leader deals with everything that has to do with the company’s staff.
Duties of a CEO
The CEO is the main position of a company. Therefore, whoever occupies it has functions of great responsibility and impact on the business, such as making important decisions.
A CEO must always be watching the market and looking for ways to move the business forward. At the same time, he must work with other sectors and contribute to internal strategies.
The role of the CEO can vary according to the size of the company. In startups, for example, the CEO is not only strategic, but also helps in business operations.
In large companies, the CEO is completely strategic and becomes famous because he always appears in the media, at conferences and company launches.
Despite the great responsibility that he has on his shoulders, the CEO does not do what he thinks without giving satisfaction to anyone. It is very common that he has to answer to the Board of Directors, that is, to the management and, in some cases, to the investors.
Main characteristics of a CEO
As we have already said, the position of CEO is not for everyone. It is important that the person who occupies it knows how to deal with so much responsibility and with the visibility that he will have.
For this reason, the main of a CEO are:
have an open mind
Being open-minded means being willing to try new things, accepting multiple possibilities to solve a problem, and taking risks when necessary.
know how to make decisions
As we have already seen, one of the functions of a CEO is to make decisions and, for that, he has to be prepared to make wise decisions. In other words, he must know how to evaluate all the factors, looking for what is best for the business and for those interested.
Resilience
To have it is knowing how to adapt to necessary changes and to overcome adversity. This is an essential characteristic for CEOs, since they must face various problems, in addition to the pressure inherent in the position.
Communication
This is a key factor in identifying good CEOs, as this position involves relationships with different audiences and, sometimes, even with different cultures.
But, it is also important because the CEO is the face of the company, therefore he will have to represent it in congresses and events, hold conferences and do many .
The CEOs that will inspire you
In this post you have learned more about the position of CEO. Now, we are going to show you some examples of famous CEOs that will help you better identify a good CEO.
You will see that these CEOs are admired and respected people in their markets.
Do you want to know who they are? Are here!
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple
The famous CEO and founder of Apple is a big name in the technology market. Jobs was a great leader and helped spread the figure of the new CEO in the world.
Larry Page, CEO of Google
Lawrence Edward Page or Larry, simply, is the current CEO of the Alphabet Inc. holding company, owner of Google, YouTube and other products. As a good CEO, Larry was already considered one of the most influential people in the world and is also a great reference in the market.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook
Who hasn’t heard of Mark Zuckerberg, right? The CEO and founder of Facebook, in addition to being very popular, was already on the list of the richest people in the world.
João Pedro Resende, CEO of
And of course, the CEO and co-founder of , JP, is a great figure among Brazilian entrepreneurs in the digital and technology market.
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Mary Barra is the first female CEO of a global automaker. She has held the position since 2014 and was already on the list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Luisa García, CEO for the Andean Region of Llorente & Cuenca
Luisa has been recognized with important awards, such as being among the 50 most influential business women in Latin America, being Executive of the Year in Latin America, Executive of the Year in Corporate Services and Woman of the Year, in the Communication category, at the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
These are just some examples. The list of great entrepreneurs who are famous CEOs is huge and growing with the innovative startups that are emerging.
Speaking of innovative ventures, read our content with great examples of successful startups to inspire you!
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