C-level executives are the top-level managers of a company and the most powerful and influential members of an organization.
Their responsibilities usually include:
- Designing the business’s strategy
- Making high-stakes choices
- Ensuring that day-to-day operations fit the company’s goals.
- Deciding the direction of the area they oversee and then recruiting people to guarantee day-to-day operations
Often, C-level executives do not engage in day-to-day management responsibilities since they operate at the highest level within their departments. But, when they work with small and medium-sized organizations or startups, they may take on some operative responsibilities, especially when they work as advisors or external consultants.
Roles and responsibilities of C-level executives
The C-suite stands for the cluster of those high-level executives that hold positions as “chief” in different strategic areas of a company, for example, the CIO, which stands for Chief Information Officer, or COO meaning Chief Operating Officer.
These executives are the head of their fields and have skills and specific knowledge that come from years of expertise and professional experience.
C-suite managers have to engage with each other and operate with the information provided by the lower and middle management of the organization.
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Essential Skills for C-level executives
Out of those skills that surround each field of expertise, senior C-level executives also need to have good people skills that allow them to lead their teams effectively.
Yet, undeniably, they should be experts in their field because these C-suites need to make wise decisions to lead the business in the right direction. Moreover, they must have good management skills to delegate assignments as they can’t undertake every task on their own, thus, they need to build and lead a qualified team.
How can C-level executives boost the growth of a business
Start-ups require C-suite executives to maneuver different challenges towards business growth, and to lead all the efforts into corporate objectives.
These high-level managers can work with a startup or hyper-growing company either as independent talent or as part of their permanent team. Regardless of the work modality that is agreed upon, the truth is that growing businesses demand the attention and guidance of specialists who can lead them through an expanding stage.
Decades of experience from these professionals enable the business to make wise decisions at an appropriate time which can be pivotal in their development.
Related: New Job Success Profile: Independent Executive
Most common C-level executive’s job titles
The C-level executives in a company change from business to business depending on the nature of each organization. But the most frequent profiles are:
- CEO
A CEO (Chief Executive Officer) oversees the entire business and is mainly responsible for the operations and resources of a company. The tasks related to this position include planning, decision-making, and delegating tasks to other specific departments.
The CEO is the ultimate director of the C-Suite, and in many cases, is in charge of managing the relationship with investors.
- CFO
The CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is responsible for the accounting and financial unit while making relevant financial decisions for the company. Due to the significance of the tasks that the CFO needs to carry out, it’s a position that needs to be a part of many corporate structures.
However, many small businesses cannot hire a full-time CFO due to the cost that it might represent, therefore, hiring an external professional to assume this responsibility becomes an alternative for startups or hyper-growing companies that seek guidance in this area.
- CIO
The Chief Information Office is the executive in charge of information technology projects and strategy. The CIO is responsible for the computer systems that are needed to meet the organization’s particular objectives and ambitions.
Technology has grown increasingly important in driving product and service innovation and contributing to corporate success in recent decades. As a result, CIOs are now executives’ with great importance in today’s corporate world, since they decide how to implement technology to advance toward business objective
- COO
The Chief Operation Officer, as the name implies, is responsible for managing and overseeing the operational side of the business. They supervise the execution stage of any action plan and seek opportunities to improve and optimize all the processes.
- CMO
The CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) oversees the marketing and branding side of a business. Going into the details, it covers branding, advertising, commercializing, market research, communication, and reputation. The executive also forecasts technological changes in the industry and devises plans accordingly. Clever CMOs think from a consumer’s mindset to better seize the trends in the market.
Related: New Business Needs, Talent On Demand
How do you find C-Level Executives for your business?
Hiring C-Level executives is one of the most relevant decisions a business can make. Whether it is a startup or an established company, hiring C-suite executives enhances business growth and operations through a deeper look at the organization’s top objectives, and hiring accordingly.
Therefore, having a proper hiring strategy becomes mandatory to reach and attract the right talent for the specific needs of a business.These high-level professionals can be found through LinkedIn or HR consultancy firms.
At Bluequo, webring together scale-up companies and C-level unicorn talent on a flexible basis through top talent, tech, and magic. Our extensive pool of impactful C-levels combines a rare combination of hard skills, soft skills, and strong values.
Far from a traditional recruitment solution, we are a solution that combines a highly exclusive talent pool, unique transformational assets, and human-tech matchmaking technology. Contact us to find the talent that your business needs!
THE KEY TO SUCCESS FOR STARTUPS IS HAVING EXPERIENCED EXECUTIVES LEADING THEIR TEAMS.
Building a bold C suite will enhance the growth and development that a startup or a pre-revenue stage business needs because the professionals know what it takes to scale a company, thus, they can design and execute the strategies that will lead them to success.