Feliciani Ojeda 1 Rodolfo Feliciani Ojeda Dr.

Erin WR13300 Section 11 12 December 2013 A CEOs New Identity Simplicity is no longer an attribute that coincides with or daily lives. The world we live on today does not remotely resemble the world of ten years ago. Technology has bombarded every aspect of our life from our social interaction to our everyday living. The modern human is driven by the notion of change and by the idea that technology has facilitated our lives and in essence has made living easier. People can now communicate with family halfway across the world and even go shopping from the comfort of their home through a simple screen. The relationship between human and machine has become a necessity instead of a luxury; humans are relying on technology more and more everyday. New research has found that the average user spends 23 hours a week emailing, texting and using social media and other forms of online communication. That number represents nearly 14 percent of the total time in a week (Mielach). Technology and man have interconnected and formed the 21st century human; a super-fueled creature with unlimited amounts of information and power. The problem with society today is accepting our new identity. There seems to be a strong necessity to hold on to the past and our traditional views, but as evolutionist Charles Darwin would argue change is survival of the fittest. The world does not simply wait for everyone to catch up. People need to adapt and change in order to be successful. This notion of success and adaptation is demonstrated in the business world more specifically in the faces or leaders of the

Feliciani Ojeda 2 companies. In todays world the big boss of a company is the Chief Financial Officer or the CEO. He is forced by his position to develop a set of leadership skills or build upon and improve his skills. CEO all around the world, specifically in the United States, are faced with the challenges of our evolving society and in order to be successful their leadership skills will also need change. A new breed of leaders or CEO is emerging and the standards of leadership are getting higher and higher. Todays most successful companies are solely based on the use technology; people who eat, breath, and live technology run companies such as Facebook and Google. The CEOs role in the business world has been revolutionized. To understand how the role of the CEO has developed, one must first understand the true definition of what it means to be a leader and the CEO of a company. By definition the CEO is The highest ranking executive in a company whose main responsibilities include developing and implementing high-level strategies, making major corporate decisions, managing the overall operations and resources of a company, and acting as the main point of communication between the board of directors and the corporate operations. The CEO will often have a position on the board, and in some cases is even the chair (CEO). The CEO is the leader of a company. In Bill Gates words As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. But from a general perspective leadership is simply leading people to a common goal. A leader is that one person that encourages his workers and has the ability to push people towards a final idea. A leader is that one person that has the ability to make decisions for the good of the group. The problem with defining leadership is that it looses its essence. A CEO in a company requires a set of skills and experiences completely different than that of a

Feliciani Ojeda 3 principle in an elementary school. Both of these positions are considered to be leadership positions and in most cases are filled by a specific rage of people. What do the CEO and the principle have in common? It is from their similarities that the official definition of leadership is developed. Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal (Kruse). It is from this definition that all of the attributes needed to be a successful CEO arise and develop. In order to be a successful CEO in todays world there must be a clear understanding of social media and technology. Social media has acted, as the catalysts or creator of one of the key attributes the CEO of today must have. Our world has been put on hyper drive in regards to the sharing and development of information. Social media has given people the ability to form a completely digital identity. Today, friends and family are requesting to be friends through Twitter or Facebook instead of the old fashion lets meet up and catch up. One can learn everything there is to know about a person through their Social Network profiles. Every second spent online is just more information added to some database somewhere. People in a sense seem to have lost their privacy, which to a CEOs is not a problem but a blessing. CEOs have the world at their fingertips. They have all the information they need to maximize the success of their company. Their ability to interpret and utilize all this information is what distinguishes the modern CEO. Jesse Cover, president of Lukie Games, says, Social media has been a great way for us to engage our costumers directly. We use it to let them know about changes, problems, and ideas we are considering. Many of our best improvements have been suggestions our custumers have given us through social media. Adam DeGraide, an American business executive involved in the digital

Feliciani Ojeda 4 marketing and entertainment industries, mentions that CEOs are nuts about social media. Seriously if youre not using it youre crazy and blind to the way the world works today (Inc.). The CEO of today needs to understand and interpret social media in order to be successful. It is not enough in this modern world, for the leader of a company to not understand how to use Twitter or Facebook. In order to be a CEO in todays world one must be obsessed with social media and have the skill and ability to master it. Mastery of the social media world is not something that every person possesses. The new breed of CEO must have a set of relatively new skills that will allow them to exploit the opportunity that social media represents. It is one thing to be completely obsessed with social media and be able to access it, but when it comes to understanding the advantages and the actual benefits of being tech savvy it is not for everyone. In an interview conducted by Jessi Hempel of Fortune, Facebook's director of product design or DEO, Maria Giudice, believes executives can benefit by applying principles of good design to business. She mentions Traditionally CEOs are slaves to the P&L. It's hard to move forward. But the world is not waiting for you. You have to move fast and the only way you can do that is by understanding how to take risks in a smart way (Hempel). Maria Giudice is in a part and example of the new breed of leaders in business. Her field of work, which is to understand how design and innovation have had an impact on a company and how these characteristics can further their success and development has only been developed with the development of the social network. She believes that design is not about the medium they are serving but is more about the process of making something tangible that serves peoples needs. It is simply utilizing social media to the advantage of a company.

Feliciani Ojeda 5 Utilizing social media is to understand its existence and having the ability to use it. It is evident that CEOs are humans too. They obviously have the ability to have specialist that can facilitate their jobs. In order to be a leader though, a CEO must lead by example. It is in the essence of leadership that a true leader must be able to practice what they preach. If our world today requires for an understanding and application of social media then the CEO must be able to do so. For example a CEO should know how to utilize the social media platform of Twitter. Gary Vaynerchuk, the CEO of VaynerMedia, an agency that helps Fortune 500 companies find their social voices and build their digital brands through micro content and other story telling actions, writes an article on how to master the four big social media platforms. He mentions how every platform can be utilized in a different aspect and how each will benefit the company. He mentions how Twitter is a quick way to engage people If I can get someone to stop for half a second to ponder, I've got him in my ecosystem. He also tells readers how a company can use Facebook to incorporates images and the effects of how they are displayed have on the viewer (Vaynerchuk). A CEO must be able to understand all these techniques and social media platforms; there is just no excuse in the 21st century. Success comes hand in hand with change. This is why today half of the tweets composed by a company are from the CEO himself. In addition to social media, people have become completely reliable on technology. Ten and eleven year olds now get smartphones for Christmas, and teenagers spend more time inside playing video games than playing outside. We spend countless hours in front of screens ether passively or actively. It is as if our lives would be lost without this constant use of technology. It is nearly impossible for people to completely disconnect

Feliciani Ojeda 6 themselves from the world even Tarzan has a cell phone. The worlds increased reliability on technology has led to the development another valuable skill for a 21st century CEO to have. As mentioned previously users spend around 23 hours a week communicating through various mediums. There is this constant communication between people all over the world. People seem to always be connected regardless of where they are and what they are doing. Technology such as the smartphone has increased the ability to always be connected. For example, a student can attend college and earn a degree from the comfort of their home. A workingman can be on a vacation in the middle of Africa, and still have the ability to finish his work and communicate with his co-workers. What does this mean for a CEO? It means that they are on the job at all times. According to the survey of Inc.s 500 CEOs, on average CEO have ten days of vacation a year and a total of eight percent of CEO dont have vacations at all (Inc.). This survey just simply shows the role that the CEO needs to have. Technology in other words gives complete and utterly control of a company to the CEO. From emailing all of his employees to having videoconference with a board of directors, the CEO can and should always be involved. According to Forbes one of the signs that a leaders leadership style is outdated is the inability to renovate. If you are afraid of change then you will find it difficult to reinvent yourself. If you dont know how to reinvent yourself, you will find short-lived success as a leader. Sustainable leadership success is dependent upon being proactive to the changing marketplace and thus requires you to continuously reinvent your style, approach and overall attitude (Llopis) .The successful companies of today have almost entirely gone paperless, and have adapted this idea of technology based communication and efficiency.

Feliciani Ojeda 7 The CEO of today could be in complete control of its ability to lead. Although technology and social media serve as great assets, there might be some aspects of leadership that are lost. In todays world, there is no need to meet someone. In other words, a CEO can loose the crucial component of face-to-face communication. Without face-to-face communication, the gap between a CEO and its workers widens. As a CEO it would be detrimental to his or her image that their workers dont accept him or her as a leader because of their lack of human interaction. Technology has in a sense created a separation between the workers and the boss. This gap without careful supervision might indeed lead to unsuccessful leadership and might be a detriment to a company. Technology and social media can also impede a CEO from being successful. in order to be successful the CEO must know how to properly use his tools and skills. As mentioned previously, it is essential for a CEO to understand, apply, and incorporate technology and social media into his company. With careful planning and decision-making a CEO can avoid the five signs that their leadership style is outdated. They can adapt to their situation and start making carefully calculated decisions thanks to information gained from multiple social medias. Second, the CEO can never be complacent. Leadership especially in a company is always changing. If a CEO becomes complacent, for example and does not see the importance of technology and social media, they may loose their role as a leader in a company. There is always room for improvement and improvement is driven by technology. Also, a CEO should not be selfish. In other words, they need to maintain their image as a leader and as a representation of the company. The group is much more important than an individual person. By avoiding being selfish the modern CEO will avoid the gap between him and

Feliciani Ojeda 8 his worker. The CEO needs to make an effort. By making an effort the CEO will also avoid loosing their likability, their biggest asset is being loved by their employees. Social media and technology allows the CEO to determine what his workers are saying their likes and dislikes. An of course the most important part to leadership goes hand in hand with technology and social media. The CEO should never be afraid to change and reinvent himself. Being flexible to any situations increases their ability to be successful. In this business environment, social media helps with our online reputation. People need to see what we do really works, and how many people are benefiting from our work, says Bradley Smith, the CEO of Rescue One Financial one of Inc.s top 500 companies (Inc.). Leadership is building a reputation through the dislikes and likes of the people who surround it. Leadership is the relationship between one leader and its followers. In todays changing society, there is a need for a certain group of people to guide us towards the right direction. These chosen few are the leaders of our world. They are the CEOs and presidents of companies. The problem lies in our increased reliance on social media and technology. Our world revolves around different mediums ether digital or physical. With a changing world comes the necessary change of people. This technology revolution has paved the way for the new and improved CEO; a CEO with a set of distinct characteristics and personality traits. This new leader needs to be a teenager at heart, in other words, always being involved in gossip. He needs to be able to incorporate himself into the world of social networking, ether through Twitter or Facebook. In a sense he needs to become the celebrity of his company that one person can always associate to. He should also have the competitiveness of a professional athlete. The drive in a sense to always be ahead of the game, with huge amounts of

Feliciani Ojeda 9 information out there in the web there should not be any excuse. Most importantly of all the leader of today should thrive in change. Adapting to changes and leadership are interchangeable. The CEO of today has built a new identity to what it means to be a leader and has created a foundation for the future a foundation built on social media and technology.

Feliciani Ojeda 10 Work Cited "CEO." Investopedia. N.p.: n.p., 2013. N. pag. Web. Inc. 500 CEOs. "Survey Inc. 500 CEOs." Interview by Inc. Inc. Mansuetto Ventures, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.inc.com/magazine/201209/inc-staff/ surveyof-inc-500-ceos-how-they-work.html>. Hempel, Jessi. "What managers can learn from designers." CNNMoney. Time Warner Company, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Kruse, Kevin. "What Is Leadership?" Forbes. Forbes, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/04/09/what-is-leadership/>. Kurtz, David L., and Louis E. Boone. "A Profile of Business Leadership." Business Horizons 24.5 (1981): 28. Print. Llopis, Glenn. "5 Signs Your Leadership Style Is Outdated." Forbes. Forbes, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/10/28/5-signs-yourleadership-style-is-outdated/ 2/>. Mielach, David. "Americans Spend 23 Hours per Week Online, Texting." Business News Daily. N.p., 2 July 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013 <http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/ 4718-weekly-online-social-media-time.html>. Pollach, Irene, and Eva Kerbler. "Appearing Competent." Journal of Business Communication 48.355 (2011): 355-72. Print. Vaynerchuk, Gary. "How to Master the 4 Big Social- Media Platforms." Inc. Mansuetto Ventures, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.<http://www.inc.com/magazine/201311/garyvaynerchuk/how-to-master-the-four-major-social-media platforms.html/2>.