Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building and GOLAJV. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode four eighty three. You hear about the c suite.
Speaker 2: It's that mysterious top floor of an organization where the
Speaker 2: decisions are made, the strategies are formed, and the direction
Speaker 2: of the company is set. But what exactly is the
Speaker 2: c suite and who makes it up? If you're a
Speaker 2: new leader, this can feel like a world far removed
Speaker 2: from where you are today, But the truth is understanding
Speaker 2: the c suite is critical because these are the people
Speaker 2: who shape the environment you work in. So let's break
Speaker 2: it down. At the very top sits the CEO, the
Speaker 2: chief executive officer. The CEO is the captain of the ship.
Speaker 2: They define the vision, the mission in the long term
Speaker 2: direction of the company. The CEO represents the organization to shareholders, investors,
Speaker 2: and the public and ultimately makes the call on major decisions.
Speaker 2: If you think about it, the CEO sets the tone
Speaker 2: that trickles all the way down to you and next
Speaker 2: to the CEO. Often right at their side is the CFO,
Speaker 2: the chief financial officer. This is the person who makes
Speaker 2: sure the ship doesn't run out of fuel. They manage money,
Speaker 2: cash flow, investments, and risk. They're the ones who tell leadership,
Speaker 2: here's what we can afford, here's what we can't, and
Speaker 2: here's how we can grow without sinking the company. Then
Speaker 2: there's the CEOO, the chief operating officer. If the CEO
Speaker 2: is the visionary, the COO is the executor. They take
Speaker 2: the strategy and they turn it into action. Managing the
Speaker 2: daily operations. They make sure the trains run on time,
Speaker 2: the supply chain is moving, and the business machine doesn't stall.
Speaker 2: In many companies, the COO is the second in command,
Speaker 2: the one making sure that the CEO's big ideas actually happen.
Speaker 2: Now let's talk about the CRO, the chief revenue officer.
Speaker 2: This role has become more common in recent years. The
Speaker 2: CRO is laser focused on growth. They look at sales,
Speaker 2: marketing and customer success and ask, how do we increase
Speaker 2: revenue across the board. They don't just want new customers,
Speaker 2: they want loyal ones who stick around and add to
Speaker 2: the bottom line. And right alongside them is the CMO
Speaker 2: the Chief Marketing officer. The CMO is the storyteller. They
Speaker 2: manage the brand, the advertising, the campaigns, and the messaging
Speaker 2: that keeps customers engaged. They're responsible for making sure people
Speaker 2: know who the company is, what it stands for, and
Speaker 2: why they should care. Then we have the CHRO, the
Speaker 2: Chief human Resources officer. This is the leader of people strategy.
Speaker 2: They manage hiring, training, benefits in workplace culture. Think of
Speaker 2: them as the architect of the employee experience. A great
Speaker 2: CHRO builds systems that attract top talent and keep people motivated, engaged,
Speaker 2: and loyal. And on the technology side, you'll often see
Speaker 2: two titles, the CIO the Chief Information officer in the
Speaker 2: CTO the chief Technology Officer. The CIO is focused inward
Speaker 2: making sure the organizations internal systems, data and security are strong. THEO,
Speaker 2: on the other hand, looks outward, leading innovation in the
Speaker 2: development of new products or platforms. In short, the CIO
Speaker 2: protects the house. The CTO builds the future. And finally,
Speaker 2: we have the CPO, the Chief Product officer. This role
Speaker 2: owns the product vision and roadmap. They work with engineers, designers,
Speaker 2: and marketers to make sure the company's products meet customer needs. Sometimes,
Speaker 2: depending on the company, CPO might also mean Chief People Officer,
Speaker 2: which is essentially another version of the CHRO. Either way,
Speaker 2: this is about making sure the core of the company,
Speaker 2: its products, or its people are being led with purpose.
Speaker 2: So when you hear people say the c suite, this
Speaker 2: is who they're talking about. It's the team at the
Speaker 2: very top, each with their own lane, but all working
Speaker 2: together to keep the organization moving forward. And here's the
Speaker 2: key point for new leaders like you. The c suite
Speaker 2: is not some distant universe you'll never touch. The decisions
Speaker 2: they make influence your work every single day, and the
Speaker 2: leadership habits you practice today may one day prepare you
Speaker 2: to sit at that very table inside the c suite.
Speaker 2: So the c suite is just a collection of people
Speaker 2: with big responsibilities, but they started somewhere. Many of them
Speaker 2: began exactly where you are now, learning leadership, growing through mistakes,
Speaker 2: and taking on bigger challenges. So as you think about
Speaker 2: your own career path, don't just look up at the
Speaker 2: c suite with curiosity, look at it with intention, because
Speaker 2: one day, just one day, you might be there. This
Speaker 2: has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast, and I thank
Speaker 2: you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.