CEO Coach - Company Vision

Bill Warner Thursday, June 05, 2008

I am starting a new series of articles called the CEO Coach. I plan to address the various aspects of the job of CEO. It will not only be useful to company executives, but to all people within the company in that they should know what to expect from their CEO.

Let start at the top. The first thing that a CEO has to do from day one, and for every day thereafter, is manage the vision of the company. The source of the vision and the keeper of the vision is the CEO. The CEO is responsible for:

  • Creating the vision with involvement from all the company executives
  • Establishing company-wide buy-in to the vision
  • Explaining the vision and answering questions about it
  • Communicating the vision to everyone in the company, consistently and constantly
  • Monitoring the understanding of the vision so that it stays on track

But, the task of being the keeper of the vision never ends. A vision is fragile. If the CEO doesn’t “walk the talk” every day, the vision will eventually erode away. The CEO’s consideration of the vision has to be visible to everyone. For example:

  • The CEO needs to take action to communicate the vision frequently in staff meetings, company meetings and other company communications
  • The vision has to be factored into decisions where the CEO makes it clear that the decisions being made are consistent with the company’s vision
  • In external communications via the website, newsletters, public speaking engagements and the media, the CEO needs to reiterate what the vision of the company is
  • When an incident occurs that is inconsistent with the company’s vision, the CEO must grasp it as an opportunity to make corrections and remind people what the vision is and what it means
  • In establishing business relationships, the vision is often a factor in deciding how to handle them

Managing the vision of the company is a full time job for the CEO. Not that it takes full time, but it takes constant awareness and discipline to ensure that the vision is well understood and being acted up appropriately.

Filed Under: Business Strategy and Planning, Business Coaching & Leadership Skills



Bill Warner is the Managing Partner of Paladin and Associates, a business consulting firm in the Research Triangle Park area of central North Carolina, and is the Chairman of the Triangle Accredited Capital Forum, an angel investor network with over one hundred members throughout the southeast.

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