An open secret in the entrepreneurship community is that the CEO’s limitations are often the root cause of a struggling company’s problems.
Sometimes the problem is just that the CEO is overdue in hiring an “integrator,” and s/he has gotten overwhelmed.
More often, the CEO is simply “in the wrong seat.”
This happens for many reasons. Here are a few:
❌ Default – “No one else wanted to do it.” – This is a common problem in technical teams with a product that grew out of a university lab.
❌ Ego – The founder likes introducing themself as “the CEO” and basking in the status that comes with the title.
❌ Fear of losing control – The founder fears someone else will not do justice to their “baby” in the marketplace, will not point out all of its unique features.
❌ Ignorance – One founder agrees to perform the role as a service to the team without knowing what the job requires.
The CEO Job Description
Here’s a quick list of CEO responsibilities (adapted from Alisa Cohn’s From Start-up to Grown-up – a recommended read):
🔹 Set the company direction and culture.
🔹 Hire and manage the right people.
🔹 Delegate and coordinate tasks.
🔹 Wear multiple “hats” and change them quickly.
🔹 Deal with conflict – within the team; with the Board; with vendors.
🔹 Communicate the vision and the reality to the team.
🔹 Don’t run out of money (responsibility #1).
🔹 Whatever else is required to keep the company running.
Given this list of responsibilities, do you truly WANT to do the CEO job? Is it a good match for your strengths?
You don’t have to know HOW to fulfill all these responsibilities when you begin. All manner of coaches, mentors, peers, and trainers will help you. The important question is whether you see these responsibilities as exciting (if terrifying) opportunities for growth OR as drudgery?
The deep-tech and medtech founders with which I work often have little interest in the external business development tasks or the internal people management activities that the role requires. It doesn’t mean they can’t learn to do these tasks, but at what cost to the company – or their own well-being – if they’re miserable doing them?
Alternative roles for technical founders:
Other roles that often prove a better match for technical founders, allowing them to contribute their unique expertise, include:
✅ Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
✅ Chief Clinical Officer (CCO)
✅ Chief Medical Officer
✅ Chief Nursing Officer
✅ Chief Science Officer (CSO)
Reflection question:
Your primary job as a founder is to do what’s best for the company. Is your being CEO helping or hindering your company’s progress?
