Many of us tend to see the CEO as a remarkable, charismatic figure. Someone who knows everything, solves every problem, anticipates every challenge and delivers every success. That is, if the company is thriving. But when things go wrong, the very same CEO becomes the one who failed to foresee issues, couldn’t fix them, or simply got everything wrong. But is it truly fair, or even reasonable, to expect so much from just one person?
There was indeed a time at BIOEMTECH when many believed I had all the answers, or at least that I could always find a solution. But as the team grew, and so did the scope of our work, new challenges and dynamics emerged. Some of them I welcomed, others, less so. Some areas suited me well, while others did not. There were things I could do well and things I simply couldn’t. Perhaps more importantly, there were things I truly enjoyed doing and things that I didn’t.
“This is where the idea of the ‘Chief Executive Office’ was born. Not as a single individual, but as a group of people committed to leading the company, driving its growth and shaping its future vision. While these responsibilities are often assigned to one person (CEO), we came to realize they are better, more effective and more sustainable when shared by a team. Because we believe in teams and teamwork. And so, we decided to get rid of the CEO cliché.
This idea isn’t unique, but it’s deeply aligned with who we are and how we’ve grown. Many such models are reported, like two “co-CEOs”, or an “office” centered around the CEO and his/her team. There are some very interesting references for this. Still, that was not how we do things. For us, the role is naturally shared among three complementary people, each focusing on what they love, so that they can do it well. Or at least do their best! We move forward with full trust in one another.
This is our way:
- The COO – Chief Operations Officer assures us that the company is running smoothly. For all operation issues like legal, financial, personnel, certifications. The COO makes sure that we have peace of mind as we grow BIOEMTECH.
- Then, the CBO – Chief Business Officer ensures the company grows its core business, reaches new customers and serves them efficiently. The CBO protects the company’s quality, while steering clear of unnecessary drama.
- And lastly, the CVO – Chief Vision Officer who looks ahead, trying to see where things are going, what we could initiate or stop, who could help us, how we will reshuffle the deck and how we will do things differently from the rest.
This model may need to evolve as the company continues to grow. Still, I don’t believe it will revert to the traditional, centralized CEO structure. What seems more likely is that the concept of shared leadership will extend deeper, into individual units and smaller teams. It’s a more agile and flexible approach. It creates room for personal initiative, accountability, experimentation and organic problem-solving. Of course, this kind of model demands continuous internal work and strong support. It’s not suited for every company culture, but it works for us.
But we believe that people are smart and as S.J. correctly said: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do, we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do”.