The C thing
Why call a blog “C is Just a Letter”?
C level officers are a big deal – many of us have aspired to arrive at that level. My own career has included stops at the C-level, as CMO.
And what I’ve learned is that C-level people are pretty much VP level people, who are in turn pretty much Director level people…
The difference is not skills within your area of expertise. If you’re a director or above you know how to “do the work”.
At the C level, the only thing I can tell you that is markedly different is that when the job is done right you understand that a lot of your job has nothing to do with your “middle letter” – the M for marketing or F for finance or O for operations. A true C level officer sees linkages between functions within a company, and amongst the various “forces” operating in the competitive set and consumer/customer set. You bring your function to the table, but what keeps your seat is your ability to link that expertise to everything around you.
It took me a long time to figure that out.
And so this blog is written with this perspective: its about leadership skills and marketing skills, but its always within the context of those skills driving a business forward. Or, it will be about something that seems important to know about, because it may show you the way to link that marketing skill of yours to something else in your professional world.
C is just a letter. This blog is for everybody, knowing that any of you could be that C person someday.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Might the C-level also be one where those who get there have exceptional Communication skills?
Marie, that is a great comment. I believe that like everyone who goes through time you get better at something. This is the genius behind Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outlier’s. That said, there are a lot of great communicators not in the C-suite – sometimes by choice, sometimes by chance. My experience would say that C-level folks have just about the same variability as other levels – there is just fewer of them, and those who communicate less comfortably usually have others on their team take a leadership role. Its a great overall question – wish someone with smarts and time could get us a better answer!