Years ago the common approach for a CEO was to be mostly private, doing the deep work, pushing leadership and ensuring objectives are attained, and so forth.
Very few were in the public spotlight and accessible. If at all it was in the form of news or publicity but still relatively disconnected from the public and only those who follow business closely might know who they are and what they look like.
Today, the role of the CEO is changing. They still need to be responsible for the vision and leading the company to attain its objectives but they have another role — influencer.
Today’s CEO needs to be out there, known and helping lead publicly in a way that sets the tone for the company and builds the brand. They need to be connected and more accessible to the audience at large. And they should build a large following. This is really an extension of the brand, marketing, and sales efforts.
The urge is to be head down doing the work or meeting with the internal team or only relevant actions but that needs to change these days if you want to build your community and grow the brand.
My agency, Richter, works with many of the largest B2B companies in the world, and in 2023 one of the most common terms that came up as a need or want was thought leadership.
