What Does it Take to Be a Chief Executive?
Job Description & Duties : Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.
Daily Life Of a Chief Executive
- Appoint department heads or managers and assign or delegate responsibilities to them.
- Analyze operations to evaluate performance of a company or its staff in meeting objectives or to determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, or policy change.
- Administer programs for selection of sites, construction of buildings, or provision of equipment or supplies.
- Prepare or present reports concerning activities, expenses, budgets, government statutes or rulings, or other items affecting businesses or program services.
- Review reports submitted by staff members to recommend approval or to suggest changes.
- Implement corrective action plans to solve organizational or departmental problems.
Skills Required
When polled, Chief Executives say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
- Judgment and Decision Making : Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving : Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking : Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking : Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Coordination : Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
- Social Perceptiveness : Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Minimum Requirements
To become a Chief Executive, educational requirements typically include a bachelor's degree in business administration or a related field, along with significant work experience in management.
Salary Overview
Chief Executives make between $68,360 and $208,000 a year, with those in California, District of Columbia, or Georgia earning the highest salaries.
Tools and Technologies Used
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Chief Executives may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Access
- Email software
- SAP
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Publisher
- Oracle PeopleSoft
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software