chief executive officer

Core Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Creating long-term plans, goals, and visions for the company's future.
• Financial Oversight: Owning the profit and loss (P&L) statements, budgets, and overall financial health.
• Team Leadership: Hiring, guiding, and managing top company leaders like the CFO and COO.
• Board Relations: Reporting performance updates directly to the board of directors.
• Public Representation: Serving as the main face of the company for the media, public, and partners

A CEO may generally be expected to take on some or all of these tasks:

• Oversee the strategic direction of an organization: Lower-level managers are often more engaged in the day-to-day operating activities of a company. A CEO usually synthesizes these results and decides on the long-term plans of a company.
• Implement changes and proposed plans: A CEO usually looks to themselves and other executive leadership to begin implementing those plans after crafting the long-term vision. Changes are often directly implemented by operational managers, but it's ultimately up to the CEO to ensure that the long-term plans are being followed through.
• Engage in media obligations and public relations: A CEO is often the face of the company, and this includes being involved in media relations. A CEO may speak at conferences, address the public on notable changes to the company, or participate in community events.
• Interact with other leadership executives: It's vital to a company’s success to have a suite of executives that a CEO can rely on. A CEO often relies on other leaders to manage their own realms rather than directly overseeing every aspect of a company. They then engage with them to get a high-level understanding of how things are going.
• Maintain accountability with the board: A board of directors oversees the entire company’s performance and holds the CEO accountable. A CEO often reports to the board, delivers updates on strategic plans, and gets feedback from board members regarding the company’s overall direction.
• Monitor company performance: A CEO is ultimately responsible for a company’s financial performance. They may rely on financial or nonfinancial metrics to track how things are going. They usually make reporting requests from their direct employees to get a quick sense of how each area in the company is performing and what strategic maneuvers should be taken.
• Setting precedence for the working culture and environment: A CEO is responsible for setting the tone at the top and creating the work environment they believe is best to drive success. Employees working under a CEO often look to the executive to develop and maintain the organization’s culture.