Are You the CEO?

After we leave college and join work, all of us are very excited not only about what work we do but also about what others are doing! So, this weekend, one of my friends asked me what I did in my company. He was bemused when I replied, “I’m the CEO.”

Once his eyebrows settled, I explained that it’s not the position I am talking about but the attitude and the passion. When we join a company, most of us feel and behave like ‘employees’. It is understandable as this is what we expect and are told but I have always felt that unless we feel the same ownership and connection with the company which the CEO has, we won’t be able to give our 100% to what we do.

Like a CEO, we should always look at the broader picture; get out of our cubicles sometimes and try to see beyond our projects. We should get a feel of the ‘pulse’ of the company. As one of the first things, one should see what the vision of the company is and how that vision translates into day-to-day activities and most importantly understand how that relates to the work one does. Talking to people who have spent sometime with the company will give you a better idea of this aspect.

Like a CEO, one should also always be ready to speak one’s mind and never think ‘someone else will take care of it’. In a vibrant culture, every perspective adds to the overall understanding of issues and every individual has something to contribute. I have often met people who say that they are too low in the hierarchical ladder to be heard. This, however, is not true. If you have a great idea that can help the company in any way, share it! On the other hand, never be afraid to call a spade a spade! Anything that needs improvement should be improved and who better person than you to initiate that improvement process; after all this is what a CEO would do, right?

Cultivating the ‘I am the CEO’ attitude not only helps you become more confident and strive to make an impact but also helps the company because each of you is a touch-point of the company with the external world. And if each touch-point exhibits the confidence and maturity of a CEO, just imagine the impression the world will have of your company!In the knowledge economy, people are the key assets of any company and though the company tries hard to set up processes and systems to make this asset more productive, it is our responsibility as well to strengthen ourselves in all ways possible and more than anything else we should feel ownership of the company and strive in all ways possible to help the company achieve its goals. Anyone who cultivates this attitude is the CEO of the company in his/her own right.