What is a Typical Day Like for a CEO?

typical-day-for-ceoHave you ever wondered what a typical day for a CEO looks like? If your biggest goal in terms of vocation is to become the CEO of a large and well-known corporation, it is important to have a general understanding of what your daily routines will be.

While some just like the idea of being in the highest position of power, CEO’s hold a lot of responsibility and spend long hours in the office. They are the executive officers that investors look to for answers, and that the entire employee base will trust to cultivate the vision and the culture of the organization. With such a broad scope of responsibilities, it is important to be sure that you know what will be expected from you daily.

Meetings, Mentoring, and Strategies

CEOs spend a majority of their day meeting with potential clients and other high level executives within the organization. You will need excellent communications skills to be a part of the discussions and the conference calls, where often times you are the leader. From the moment you get into the office until the moment you take your lunch, you can expect to be inundated with emails from management, executives, and potential clients. You can also expect your administrative assistant to remind you of your important phone calls, lunch meetings, and whether or not you have visitors coming in.

If you have an active project or pitch going on, your schedule may be busier than it would normally. For those times where you are trying to generate interest through marketing, alter a budget, or make an expansion decision, you will sit with the leaders of various departments who are involved to discuss strategies. Status meetings are often held in the afternoon, where all of the leaders and executives will meet for a fast-paced discussion. Everyone will confirm the deadlines which have already been set for ongoing projects, and attendees will suggest changes to the strategies.

Working While Traveling

A majority of CEOs will spend many days traveling for meetings, conferences, and other business-related gatherings each year. While you are traveling, you will have your trusty laptop and your smart device with you so that you can keep up with your emails and read industry-related news. Being out of the office for travel does not mean that you will not be burdened with issues that arise while you are away. In fact, it is not unheard of to have to deal with a major crisis hundreds or thousands of miles away. Being available when you are the only one to make a decision is your responsibility, and you will have all of the tools you need to make this possible.

Resource: 10 iPad Apps for Business Professionals

A day in the life of a CEO is a busy one, and one day is never the same. Most CEOs report that they wake up to emails and go to bed to emails, and being at home never means that they are off. With all of this responsibility, you can expect to earn a sizable salary. The average salary reported for Chief Executive Officers in the United States is $759,189 per year. This average is enough to motivate many individuals who want to be leaders to climb their way up the ladder so that they can experience a typical day for a CEO for themselves.