The CEO is key to any organisation’s success. Right? You have agreed, I presume and shall move on. In that case, why is he sitting at the top of the pyramid cozily, warmly, comfortably, snugly. Well, many successful CEOs don’t. But, most do! The CEO’s role is vital. He is the one that in a sense decides the fate of the company. When Google decides to buy Motorola, it is on the basis of the Larry Page’s directives (and the board’s nod). And when it decides to sell Motorola minus the patents, it is again Larry Page’s vision that comes into play. Satya Nadella will now decide Microsoft’s fate. People are looking up to him for that big change that will make Microsoft that rocking company that it once used to be. He has to get the best product out, best engineers in place, best marketing set up at work, best managerial talent — And that’s a challenge. As he goes along, he will do a lot of tinkering – exit some businesses, make some acquisitions to grow fast, up-skill, re-skill, hire, dump employees, dominate certain categories/markets to start with. He has to do a lot of balancing act! You obviously can not do the balancing act while sitting at the top. You are resting on top of a heap. Now, flip the organisation structure representation to an inverted pyramid. Figuratively, and as extension perception-wise, the role of the CEO becomes even more critical to the success of the company. Bad balancing will topple the pyramid. This representation would also determine how much load the CEO at the bottom is willing to take. He will probably build an organisation that is flatter & leaner and yet be successful. This is just a starter. Will delve deeper in upcoming posts!
