786 Jumbo Pages: "Labor Day Musing: On The Meaning of the "E" in CEO" from "FeedBlitz News"

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Labor Day Musing: On The Meaning of the "E" in CEO
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"Labor Day Musing: On The Meaning of the "E" in CEO" from "FeedBlitz News"

Last week at the local monthly tweetup I co-host (and FeedBlitz informally sponsors), I was chatting with a friend who'd just changed jobs. He observed that he'd got the job he really wanted – all social media marketing, all the time – but in the process he was finding it frustratingly difficult to bring his 25+ years of copywriting to bear outside of social, because that's not how his new colleagues perceive him.

Which got me to thinking about my job here, CEO of FeedBlitz. CEO stands, as we all know, for Chief Executive Officer. I realized that one of the things this role absolutely doesn't create are limitations in terms of what I do or how I work on a daily basis (which is not to say I don't limit what I do, but that's usually my limiting myself, as I – hopefully – grow the role and the company. That's an important, but different, story). The absence, in a sense, of formal constraints is both the opportunity and the challenge of my mission in this job.

But I digress. The "E" in CEO stands for "Executive," right? Well, yes, but if one confuses "executive" with "doing stuff" – which I did in the early years – then one is going to be a pretty lousy CEO in the long haul. There’s very little “doing” much of the time, if you define “doing” as producing things (such as code, products, collateral, tweets, blog posts, for example). Instead, the job stretches me in all sorts of unexpected ways, and whenever I think I might have a grip on it, the universe will correct any lingering smugness with Yet Another Freaking Growth Opportunity (YAFGO) and off we go again. Such is the nature of the beast, and boy-oh-boy have I been blessed with patient investors as I try to make sense of it all.

As a result, what the “E” stands for varies considerably. There are times where I've been the Chief Enthusiasm Officer, Chief Engagement Officer (well, we're a social media company after all), Chief Earnings Officer, and Chief Engineering Officer, to name but four roles that this limitless position has enabled me to adopt.

On a day-in day-out basis, however, what the "E" stands for, for me, is "Enablement" – I am primarily the Chief Enablement Officer here at FeedBlitz. We enable our publishers to be more successful, and as and when I can enable my teams to work better, smarter or more effectively (often by getting myself out of the way, or eliminating other obstacles / running interference for my teams), then the business will grow, be more profitable, and the shareholders will ultimately reap their rewards. If I can do this well, I will ultimately enable myself to be a better CEO, and create a virtuous cycle for the business.

But it's not all fun and games, sadly. Not every “E” is desirable. There is, in particular, another "E" which has been unexpected and unwelcome this Summer. It's a role I had never had expected, perhaps naively, to have to figure out. This "E" is for "Empathy." Heather, FeedBlitz's Community Manager, is currently out, mourning the loss of her younger sister. As a small, close-knit company, we feel her pain and her absence – both personally and professionally – very keenly, as we support her through this awful process. If you're still reading here, I urge you to read what she herself wrote about her experience on her blog. Do it now, but have some Kleenex to hand – you're going to need it. Come back once you've dried your eyes. It's important that you also, please, do what she asks. I'll wait.

The point of all the focus on this one vowel, I suppose, is that, as it turns out, nobody really can tell you when you start out on your own, what's going to happen, where the path will go, and how you're going to get there. There will be thrilling ups and, yes, gut-wrenching downs. A friend recently gave me a copy of "Oh, the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. As a guidebook for both life and the novice CEO, its simple wisdom is well worth revisiting. Especially when the next YAFGO pops up to try you like a demented whack-a-mole game in an arcade you can't ever escape.

Surprising reading material aside, though, if you happen not to be the CEO of your own venture, I urge you to think and act and, yes, execute, like you're the CEO of your current job, no matter what it is or how small or constrained it might feel at times. I can't speak for others, but from my perspective as the leader of this business, the more we value creativity and boundary-breaking in my teams, the better the company will become and the more fun it will be for everyone who works with us.

Since I am the Chief Executive Officer, ultimately responsible for this firm's ability to execute, which is what the "Executive" in the title is really all about, having clients, employees and partners who get this, can do this, and be this, is critical to all our successes.

Meanwhile, this Labor Day, be the CEO of you and make the most of every “E” you discover. Enjoy the holiday, all.