When an Entrepreneur Becomes a CEO

Why are entrepreneurs loved and CEO's hated? It's a bit of irony that has not been lost on me this past week as a bunch of cyber-strangers weighed in on their perception of me based upon a photo. Is this a crazy entrepreneur or a CEO who has lost his mind and proper bearings?

Back in June, the Rasmussen Reports released a survey of Americans' favorable vs unfavorable ratings of various professions. At the top of the list with almost no negativity were small business owners and entrepreneurs. Religious leaders were a fair percentage back, but still near the top. Bankers were evenly loved and hated, while journalists, lawyers, and stockbrokers started to make up the bottom of the list. But, in the valley of the despised were CEO's and Members of Congress. Three times as many people give these two professions negative ratings as compared to the positives.

So, what happens when you start out as an entrepreneur but grow into being a CEO due to the success of your company? Is Steve Jobs an entrepreneur or a CEO? How about Richard Branson? So much of it has to do with how you show up - are you still yourself or have you become the empty, shifty "suit"? Well, I started my company almost two dozen years ago as sort of an artist entrepreneur and I've been getting "atta boys" along the way. Yet, when I showed up in the Nevada desert to enjoy a few days of artistic utopia at Burning Man, had a few pics taken of me, and then posted them on my Facebook account, the question of whether I was a wacky entrepreneur or a father figure CEO made me a cause celeb the past few days. Take a look at the blog I wrote for BNET and the nearly 150 comments that arose from this topical question of how much of a CEO's personal life should we be exposed to?

What's most fascinating is to read that those who championed my right to be myself saw me as a grown-up entrepreneur, but those who thought I'd crossed the line by posting my Burning Man photos to my private Facebook account saw me as the CEO who had a certain decorum of professionalism that I needed to maintain (even though, frankly, that sterile decorum may be one of the reasons why Americans score CEO's so low). One of those who counseled me on being a little more professional writes as if he were a self-hating CEO, "As much as you may not enjoy it, being a CEO brings with it the serious responsibilities of being a parental role model." Clearly, this parental thing ain't working based upon the Rasmussen results. More encouraging were the comments like "I am glad to see someone can be successful and not turn into a soulless robot" or "how refreshing it is to see a CEO who is also a human."

One common comment was that I should separate my friends from my business associates on my Facebook page and only let my friends into that part of my site that might have photos like this. I don't know what century they're living in, but many of us - especially those who work long hours in business - find that some of our closest friends are those we connect with during our business day. This work/life frappe has created a blended experience in which it's harder than ever to compartmentalize. Thank God....we may put a few shrinks out of business, but we're likely to be a whole lot happier. Public image should equal private reality.

Ironically, my first book's subtitle was "Daring to be Yourself in Business," and I'm seeing how vital that is in the age of transparency. With the internet and social networks taking a more prominent place in our lives, being true to yourself (and everyone else) is almost a requirement. In fact, I'd suggest that the Rasmussen poll is really a litmus test for authenticity. The more people see the participants in the profession as authentic, the more heroic they become in the eyes of the public. Authenticity is where the culture is headed. It's an evolutionary process (coincidentally, the theme of this last year's Burning Man was "Evolution"). And, I'm still just figuring out my evolutionary process of gravitating from being an entrepreneur to being a CEO. Yet, this experience has just reinforced a powerful lesson. Maybe the role model CEO I'm supposed to be isn't the traditional icon that people don't like and don't trust, but it's the CHO: the Chief Human Officer. That's really the conundrum a modern age role model CEO must solve: how can we be human and be a CEO at the same time?

Chip Conley is the Founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality and the author of PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow.

 

Follow Chip Conley on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChipConley

Comments

[RichardaSmith]

Chip, great post. I too went from entrepreneur to CEO during the launch and growth of my company, World 50. What's more, my company created and facilitated global membership groups for the top executives at Fortune 500 companies, while my staff was predominantly gen y'ers who had rejected formality in the workplace.

Should my personal and professional brands be different? What should I hide, or choose to expose?

Ultimately, I chose to be myself, and take what came with it. I think the staff these days want you to be real more than anything else - leading authentically. And to be honest, my senior executive customers found me more approachable this way as well. I think the un-stuffiness was refressing to them.

As I write in my new book, The Leap, find your unique strengths and passions and follow them. Little downside, and it opens yourself to the greatest upside of all.

Rick Smith
The Leap