Most quality programming gets pushed aside for subpar, “WipeOut” type shows. Arrested Development is one of those quality shows that was canceled to make room for “the next big thing.” Spending hours watching a show I never enjoyed while it was on air, in the early episodes, I noticed the narrator addresses himself.
This started my thinking about the relationship between narrators and CEOs. The typical role of a narrator is to fill-in as an omniscient character–the all-knowing glue that holds the show together. A CEO has a similar responsibility. Knowing the market and your company within it are essential for CEOs to effectively create and follow their strategic vision.
CEOs set the tone for the entire company, internally and externally. The characters (employees) in the show (company) provide most of the entertainment, while the narrator (CEO) updates the audience on the intricacies of the plot line (internal goings on).
If your employees are anything like the characters in Arrested Development, surely you’re on the brink of disaster. However, just as in a TV show, your employees are the characters entertaining 90% of your clients / consumers. Having a pulse on that 90% of “entertainment” is essential for you to narrate the company. If you’re clueless about the 90% of client / employee interaction, then you’re no longer narrating your company–you’re just an invisible character.
Tags: CEO