A Personal Blog
Becoming a CEO Blogger
It occurred to me yesterday that I’m now a CEO blogger. It was a funny realization. Pre-funding I’d only ever thought of myself as the President. Mainly because (to me) the CEO title seemed presumptuous. Not least of which is because I was part of a kind of communal team that made decisions together.
One of the major challenges for any team that operates that way is that post-funding it simply doesn’t scale to make quite a few of the decisions by consensus. So you end up operating in a much more “keep you in the loop” kind of mode. Once you’ve moved into that, it’s pretty critical that one person be responsible for certain things. And, really, it’s pretty critical that one person start to lead the company.
For b5, that person is me. And transitioning from “member of the team” to “leading the company” is difficult for anyone, especially when you *are* still a team. Just not a decide-by-consensus team.
So, over the last few weeks I’ve realized that I’m a CEO… I’m the CEO… I’m the CEO of b5media Inc.
Big realization. And, as part of that realization, a slight change will likely start happening on the blog, as I blog more and more as the CEO of b5media Inc. That doesn’t mean the blog’ll become all business. But it does mean that I’ll do my best to do what I’ve always done: share my thoughts and experiences as I go through life. It’s just that now “going through life” includes running a funded company.
I’m a CEO blogger. There aren’t that many out there. And there are even less “new media” or Web 2.0 CEO’s. And it’s pretty cool. It’s like moving into a new house. A brand new house. With no drywall, paint, stairs or roof. Kind of like those restaurants where you go in and cook your own meal. Only with a house.
And it’s pretty cool. Over the last year, b5′s built a great foundation and structure, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of slapping some paint on, managing some new additions, doing the landscaping and putting a pool in.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Jeremy Wright on October 17, 2006 at 10:41 am, and is filed under b5media, Business, From My Life. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. |
about 5 years ago
Does this mean we have to start calling you “sir” or can we stick with “oh great and powerful one?”
about 5 years ago
Oh great and powerful one will suffice. ;-)
about 5 years ago
Okey dokey, OGAPO.
about 5 years ago
Congratulations. May your company prosper under its new CEO! May you be able to hold all responsibilities tightly. Good luck.
about 5 years ago
Congrats on CEO status… :D
about 5 years ago
You seem to be quite focussed on the fact that decisions are not made by consensus. A good leader will always listen.
You should remember that it was the founders that were the driving force in getting you where you are – strcuture is good but it shouldn’t exclude what made B5 great in the first place, especially if they don’t have bragging rigts to a great title.
about 5 years ago
Mike, the issue isn’t one of not listening, but more that the team dynamic needs to change, and that the change is inherently a difficult one for everyone involved.
It doesn’t mean I don’t listen, and it doesn’t mean I make every decision (thank goodness). But it does mean the dynamics, areas of responsibility, etc change :)