Ever since I was young, I've always loved taking on leadership roles in different situations, and I think that's mainly because I love being the person that people seek when they have a question, I love the feeling of being able to help someone understand something, or guide a group of people towards an end product. For the past two weeks, however, although I've been given the opportunity to do all of this as co-CEO of BlendZ, my position as a leader feels very different.
I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I think I finally have some insight as to why this is. You see, although for the most part I tend to assume a leadership position when I'm doing a project or working in a group, there usually isn't a "title" attached to it; and thus, it's more of a silent type of leadership. Now that I'm CEO, however, I feel that there is a lot of recognition, and it comes through the mere title of the position.
Think about it.
What are the first few words that come to your mind when you hear the word CEO? AUTHORITY? P O W E R ? COMPETENCE? It's those words that I feel people think of when I'm working with them that have made being a CEO a lot more difficult than I had originally expected.
If it were up to me, I'd run a business where there is no CEO, CMO, CFO, CPO, etc. I'd run a business where everyone's title is recognized as equally as important because my definition of leadership--the one I grew up believing in--is one that exists whether there is a title attached to it or not.
Nevertheless, I do understand that certain positions need to be labeled for organizational structures; there must be a point person for different aspects in a business. Moreover, having a business where there are no titles, means that responsibilities are shared equally, and thus, there must be a lot of trust amongst all employees to make sure everyone is working hard and that all the work is getting done.
When I talked to Mr. Topf about this, he told me that there was actually a business structure very similar to what I envisioned; this structure is called a flat organization.
OF STRUCTURE WITH FEW OR NO LEVELS OF
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT BETWEEN STAFF AND EXECUTIVES."
It's a structure that allows for a lot more employee empowerment because the success of the business doesn't simply rely on the CEO, but on each and every employee. Therefore, there is not only a much greater sense of responsibility amongst the entire group, but there is also a larger sense of innovation and creativity because people see themselves as capable of bringing the next success to the business.
BlendZ is are already a flat organization in several ways, but because titles come associated with a predetermined degree of respect and authority, my position as CEO has made me uncomfortable at times. Over the next few weeks, my goal is to foster a sense of shared responsibility in all decisions being made. In our startup we should all feel equally as invested, equally as responsible, and equally as excited for the opportunities that we have ahead.