What is a Christian CEO? 9 Essential Roles To Take On
— by Mike Sharrow
What’s your job? Often times the last person to have a clear job description, KPIs and defined responsibilities is the CEO. It’s easy to have a role by default rather than by design.
We’ve been implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (“EOS”) in our business and in that vernacular the popular question is – are you a “visionary” or an “integrator?” As incredibly helpful as that lens is, as followers of Jesus, stewards of operating companies in our Father’s Kingdom Holding Company, faith-driven entrepreneurs there are more roles to consider.
We live in an age of outsourcing and fractional “CxO” services. You can outsource and delegate just about any technical function of business leadership you want. Regardless of what you’re good at, like, are trained in – are there roles and responsibilities that ultimately reside with you as the entrepreneur, the CEO, the founder/owner as the stewardship agent accountable to God? Consider these “9 Essential Roles of a Christian CEO:”
Chief Vision Caster
Chief Culture Champion
Chief Performance Monitor
Chief Perspective Curator
Chief Leadership Developer
Chief Foresight Agent
Chief Opportunity Maximizer
Chief Resource Steward
Chief Ministry Catalyst
As a friend reminded me, I can’t outsource fathering my children, loving my wife or abiding in Christ. Similarly, there are responsibilities in running a Busines-as-a-Ministry (#BaaM) which, regardless of how we structure, organize, staff and strategize, the buck stops with us.
Here’s an infographic summary of the 9 Roles further defined for you to print, reflect on, share, discuss, and perhaps rework your own position summary – 9 Roles of a Christian CEO.
More articles by Mike Sharrow:
How did Jesus spend his last hours before the cross? He ensured His “Executive Leadership Team” had vision, clarity, and line of sight on essentials and prayed for their cross-functional unity!
What’s your job? Often times the last person to have a clear job description, KPIs and defined responsibilities is the CEO. It’s easy to have a role by default rather than by design.
But I thought you were a Christian!? How could you fire me? You’re not actually going to enforce that contract are you? But I thought you Christians were supposed to love everybody – where’s the grace in this?
What if God is glorified by taking us to Red Sea Moments on purpose? How do you respond as a leader when you find yourself up against the wall?
This not a time for faith-driven entrepreneurs to bunker down and wait for the storm clouds to blow over. The Gospel calls us to restorative, redemptive entrepreneurial engagement (great article) in shaping the emerging new reality.
When we (C12 Group) first began to release information, resources and guidance on playing offense in regards to COVID-19 in February there were some reports of “what’s the big deal, it’s not effecting my city, business, industry.” Those delusions are quickly fading. As a global economy, human race, and universal Church everyone is and will be effected in one way or another.
What does it mean for the “Kingdom of God,” or more contemporarily the “Jesus Administration”, to intersect the American Marketplace? What would it mean for followers of Jesus in the marketplace to embrace the scandalous invitation of the Lord’s Prayer in business? Using The C12 Group’s 5 Point Alignment Matrix, Mike Sharrow shares how business must be intentionally and lovingly integrated into faith that permeates our leadership development efforts as an organization.
Let’s not let our identity or vision be an excuse for bad leadership, but rather the fuel and motivator for great leadership. One of my agendas in the work I do, frankly, is to redeem the brand dignity of “Christian business leadership” to be associated with the very highest standards in society
Mike Sharrow, CEO of The C12 Group, challenges readers to find rest despite the hustle and bustle of work and daily nonstop demands. He ends his article with an inspired prayer for all those overwhelmed with high speed at which life moves. Click here to read more!
A major decision for anyone reading this blog site is whether you will truly be a “faith-driven” (as in the very engine, operating system, fuel, source) or a “faith-inspired” entrepreneur. The market is awash of moral, virtuous entrepreneurs who throw a periodic hat tip to Jesus (#blessed) and even seek to draw upon Biblical principles to enhance their ventures. How we relate to God and how we then operate from an identity defined by the Gospel radically alters how we lead.
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Mike Sharrow is back for Part 2 of our interview. As you likely gathered from Part 1, Mike leads C12 one of the largest and most successful organizations that put together groups of like minded, and similarly staged groups of Christian CEOs for local community, fellowship and best practices. Think about all the things you've heard about YPO, but imagine something better :). If you're only going to listen to one of the parts of the interview (but why would you??) , listen to this one.
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[ Photo by Anastasia Petrova on Unsplash ]
If there is a problem today, then regardless of who’s fault it is or where it came from, we are leaders and leaders solve problems – so what are we going to do about it?”