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Ending the cult of the CEO

managementtoday.co.uk

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Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#11

Post by hkmurakami »

jimbeam77 wrote: post #4
hkmurakami wrote: post #3

I really hope that we can end the cult of the entrepreneur as well. It's not some special thing to incorporate and start a company, and it's not inherently superior to any other line of work.

There's nothing special about starting a company for sure, but successfully growing one takes a lot of grit.

Sure.

But I'd want to see a world where headlines like "Entrepreneurs are just rich kids" cease to be, because that headline is only created when entrepreneurship is put on a pedestal and is seen as something that is inherently superior to everything else.

People wouldn't feel indignant that it is "unfair that rich kids have an advantage" at the entrepreneurship game (which they absolutely do), if entrepreneurship weren't seen as this holy grail mount Kilimanjaro thing.

Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#12

Post by omginternets »

jimbeam77 wrote: post #7
lhnz wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unpack grit and you're left with psychological traits which many normal people have.

So why don't many normal people successfully grow a business?

Because they're doing other, equally-valuable things that require the same traits?

Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#13

Post by shallot_router »

ghostly_s wrote: post #9
jimbeam77 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's nothing special about starting a company for sure, but successfully growing one takes a lot of grit.

And do you think only the CEO deserves credit for when this happens?

Obviously it'll depend. But if a founder/CEO turns a 3-person startup into a 500-person multimillion dollar company within a year or 2, and is responsible for a lot of that effort, then they arguably deserve the bulk of the credit.

In most cases, probably 10% or less of the credit belongs to the CEO, though.

Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#15

Post by jimbeam77 »

ghostly_s wrote: post #10
jimbeam77 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So why don't many normal people successfully grow a business?

Because the economy can only support a limited number of business owners, but a large number of employees.

The economy doesn't 'support' business owners - business owners (and their customers and employees) are the economy.

Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#16

Post by lhnz »

jimbeam77 wrote: post #7
lhnz wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unpack grit and you're left with psychological traits which many normal people have.

So why don't many normal people successfully grow a business?

Well, some of them do.

And also a lot of people with "grit" don't amount to anything. They lack networks, capital or the right idea. Or they have something else that they feel is more important than building a startup: a family, work flexibility, or a hobby that consumes them.

Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#18

Post by jobcreators »

i can't read this without shaking my head. boo hoo. when CEOs' compensation starts to mirror their output/tangible contribution to the company, i'll be able to take stories like this more seriously. i.e., i agree that CEOs are given far too much credit and cannot possibly be looped in on everything that leads to the successes or failures of a company, but they certainly pay themselves as if this was the case.

Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#19

Post by zorked »

dtietjen wrote: post #8
hkmurakami wrote: post #3

I really hope that we can end the cult of the entrepreneur as well. It's not some special thing to incorporate and start a company, and it's not inherently superior to any other line of work.

I'd argue the cult of the entrepreneur and cult of the founder are two different things. You're right, anyone can found a company. Entrepreneurship, on the other hand requires execution, vision, and creativity and is a real art.

Many things are a real art.

Re: Ending the cult of the CEO

#20

Post by smacktoward »

jimbeam77 wrote: post #4
hkmurakami wrote: post #3

I really hope that we can end the cult of the entrepreneur as well. It's not some special thing to incorporate and start a company, and it's not inherently superior to any other line of work.

There's nothing special about starting a company for sure, but successfully growing one takes a lot of grit.

Less so when you get $100 million dumped on your head first, though.
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