To be a CEO is one of the primary management and leadership roles in the organization. A CEO should possess strong knowledge and skills in wide variety of areas. From time to time companies face different challenges and to face these challenges different leadership skills are required.

Skills a CEO should possess:

• Skills of managing themselves
• Should be well versed with the primary level skills in the organizational management
• Proper planning for everything
• Establish organizational goals and plan how to achieve them
• Human resources management
• Organizing the staff
• Maintaining high performance teams
• Should come up with effective policies and regulations
• Ethics management
• Good decision making skills
• Communication skills
• Problem solving skills
• Ability to simplify everything
• Integrity
• Courage to take the lead
• Knowledge of the market
• Familiar with the upcoming technologies
• Customer knowledge
• Skills of making profit
• Establish a culture
• Ask right questions
• Focus on both short term and long term goals
• Helping the teams to overcome the obstacles
• Encourage learning at all levels of the organization

Training

 A candidate for the post of CEO should possess a four year degree with finance or similar business administrative subjects. Usually the course for the study of CEOs is not set but a minimum bachelor’s degree with good experience is must. They can also go for higher studies. Many of them are selected from inside the organizations itself because of the experience they possess in their respective fields. Many a times CEOs are chosen from outside the industry and they are expected to have wide range of knowledge.

The career options for CEO are not many. If we talk about the career options for a CEO then a CEO could be a mentor, a leader, a coach and also the centre of attention for a company. Depending upon the situations a CEO can opt for the different career options.  But the overall work will remain the same.

A CEO can also act as a philanthropist, spiritual guide, spokes person etc. A CEO is responsible for everything that happens in an organization. Therefore they can be an idol for everyone. They should prove themselves in every sphere and circumstances. They are the motivator guides who motivate their employees whenever required and praise them for their good work.

From setting the companies strategies to leading the different teams the presence of CEO is vital. There career revolves around the upliftment of the company in every possible way. They are the role models for many in the organization. The employees watch them closely and try to implement it in their lives.

The most important part of CEO lies when they select the team leaders and they bring glory to the organization. Their whole career goes in judging and giving opportunities to people who deserve to be on the top. They are the one who encourage people in performing well and making the organization a better place to work in.

Everyone dreams BIG!!! To get famous!!! To achieve heights in life!!! To have powers, fame…..

Admit it. Each one of us wants to achieve all this. Same is the case with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) title. The power, salary, superiority and a chance to be the boss……..

We will come across very few CEO’s who know their responsibility as the head of an organization. According to a survey only 1 out of 20 are in top 15%. This is because many are there who are not well versed with their job as a CEO while there are others who know the job but don’t have the vision to do it. The job is quiet simple but not easy at all.

Becoming a CEO can be done in two different ways. You can start your own company and assign yourself as the CEO or you can be the CEO of any existing company. But to reach the top of the ladder you have to work with full dedication and determination. And with experience you can solely be at the top, in other words, ‘the schools of hard knocks. For entrepreneurs, who run their own companies, as long as they are in the company, they can move to the post of CEO anytime they want.

The CEO is responsible for the success or failure of the company. Everything falls over the shoulders of the CEO, be it finance, marketing, human resource, hiring, firing, promotions, business strategies, rules and regulations, goals, targets, culture etc.

Whatever strategies, visions, ideas are set up by the senior management; the final decision is in the hands of the CEO. CEO is responsible for setting directions of the company. Which market to enter? What new products to be launched? Against which competitors? The CEO decides the budget, hire team to steer accordingly, sets goals and targets etc.

It is the CEO who builds a culture and environment to work for the employees in the company and make sure to get the work done through people. They should try to make a great place for the employees to work so that they could get high performers in the company because a lousy place in the company can drive away the good performers.

The CEO’s must also be able to hire the right candidates and fire the non performers. They should also possess the qualities to resolve the differences between the senior team members and keep them tangled together to work in a common direction.

As discussed above the CEO performs various jobs in an organization. From recruitment to training everything is analyzed by the CEO. It is the CEO who sets direction and strategy for the organization, decides the targets, allot teams to various projects, build culture etc. Moreover CEOs don’t have a choice to make when it comes to their duties and responsibilities. They must see that all work is done and done in a proper and organized manner.

Below are some of the important roles that a CEO should perform in an organization:

• Should have a unifying direction: – The biggest challenge for a CEO is to choose the right vision and should express it clearly to everyone. The vision should be well crafted so that it could help the CEO and the management team to work in a proper direction.

The vision statement should-

• tell about the unique qualities of the company,
• the activities of all employees,
• inspire the employees to work for the company

• Planning the strategies: – The CEO should plan some strategies for achieving the vision. The CEO should be well versed with the over all market, competitors, products as well as other significant factors like- macro economics, politics, society, demo graph and regulatory constraints. The planning of strategies should be present at every level of the organization which will make the work process easier.

• Shaping of the team: – Without an efficient team the strategies and vision cannot be processed in the right direction.  Every experienced CEO knows very well that success of the company depends upon the strength of the team. So high performance teams with strong talent should be made.

• Operating plan: – For the strategies to be effective a detailed operating plan should be made. The plan should guide about all the decisions and actions of the company. Usually a plan includes the budget for the project, resource allocation, time, key risks etc. the operating plan helps the team to focus more on those points which are the most valuable.

• Interaction: -Communicating and interacting solves various roles of a CEO. Interacting with the employees motivate them. They can come up with their suggestions and opinions. Communication helps in removing the hurdle between the employees and the senior management.

CEOs manage to collect bigger pay checks than other employees in an organization. According to US data in 2004 the average salary for a CEO was 2.2million USD. By 2010 it jumped to 27%. Besides this the CEOs also enjoy the non-cash benefits which an average worker can never imagine to avail. If we talk about normal workers then for them the additional benefits could be in terms of cash, bonuses or stock option plans.

Here are some of the common perks enjoyed by the CEOs:

• Security in terms of personal and home security services
• Excellent office space with executive suites and decors
• Cars and drivers
• Company aircrafts
• Country club memberships
• Retirement and pension benefits
• Special treatment and privileges
• Benefits to avail free financial advice

Not only this but nowadays the CEOs are also availing the facilities of bodyguards and chauffeured cars. US is quiet generous in terms of providing perks to CEOs. As s result of which the median perks and salary combined has increased to nearly 7% in 2008 according to an associated press in US. Some companies even went beyond these benefits and provided the top executives with cable TV, free internet service and company travel department to book personal travel.

There are companies who are also changing their perk policies but plenty are there who are still willing to provide generous perks to their CEOs. These perks make a very big percentage to their income.