The Impact of the CEO

What the CEO does and says is — most likely — more impactful than the actions of possibly anyone else in a company, according to a recent global study by KRC Research.   At root, it's estimated that a significant 60% of a company's market value is attributed to its reputation, and the CEO plays a key role in shaping that reputation.

Note the following:

·  A full two-thirds (66%) of consumers say that their perceptions of CEOs affect their opinions of

company reputations.

· Executives attribute nearly one-half (49%) of a company's overall reputation to the CEO's reputation.

What a CEO says and does cascades through his or her company and beyond.  Well beyond ... in the digital era, when everyone is looking for content and a CEO's meltdown or foolish statement is valuable, shareable content.

Writing in the May 2009 issue of the Harvard Business Review, former Procter & Gamble Chairman A.G. Lafley says that the CEO's job boils down to wearing many hats:  "communicator, coach, problem solver. While others in your organization can also fill those roles, there's one critical job only a CEO can do: link the outside world (society, economy, technology, customers) with the inside world (your organization)."