Confessions of a Real CEO

Over the years there have been articles and sometimes even protests over CEO and executive's exorbitant pay and how the people who do the real work are getting a fraction of the pay.  There are other people who base their perspective on television or movie CEOs who just play golf, go to cocktail parties and fly to the Hamptons on the weekend.  Some of that is real, but typically only the very large corporations have that type of pay disparity and the movies need to create an interesting story so of course they portray them in an interesting way.  The last government report from the SBA  shows 61% of businesses have 20 or less employees. These are classified as small businesses and they are the building blocks of the economy. As a CEO, I know many CEOs because I talk with our customers, meet with peers, competitors and partners who are also building and running companies.

I was inspired to write this blog based on a conversation I had over the 4th of July weekend with some family members.  I see certain family members a few times a year and I am still surprised by some of the questions or statements that they make, despite knowing me for a very long time.  People say things like "since you are the boss, you can do whatever you want", or "you could probably take the summer off and go to Europe because you are the CEO". I am not sure why, but those statements are still bewildering to me so I would like to provide some real insight to the CEO's I know and the ones who represent that 61% of America.

• Creating a business from scratch takes an incredible investment in time, focus and endless amount of passion.  You don't start out with an accounting, HR, operations or engineering department. You do every job until you can hire for it.
• Carving out family time, even during vacations can be a challenge and keeping both sides balanced is tricky.
• Every day is a battle.  If you love your business, then it is a battle you love, but no successful CEO I know set up the company and is now sitting back with their feet on the desk watching it run.  Business is dynamic and ever changing and you need to react to situations constantly.
• You work for your customer! If you provide any type of service to your customer, regardless of who in your company does the actual service, your customer is your boss.
• At the end of the day, if something does not get done in your business, it is your responsibility.
• All the people that work for you and their families are your responsibility. They work for you, but you provide their livelihood.
• Being a CEO is a role in the company. You have the data, insight, authority and experience to make decisions, remove barriers and help others do great things. You have a unique role, but it is still a role.
• To quote Voltaire or possibly SpiderMan's uncle Ben , "with great power comes great responsibility".

Perhaps my viewpoint is unique or maybe I should be flying around the world in my private jet, but I don't have a jet and I don't think my perspective is unique.  What I do think is that most people don't know what goes on for a typical business owner or CEO, so they can only base it on what they read in the media or see on TV.

I believe the concept that perception is reality, so I hope this goes a little way in shaping your perception.