The Essential Roles of Small Business CEOs

Joey Crampton

CPA, Professional Certified Coach, Educator, Métis♾️, Guitarist🎸

May 13, 2025

For CEOs, clarity and focus are the most critical attributes. The Winnipeg chief executive must be very clear about what they want to accomplish. By honing in on what truly matters, you can drive growth, empower your team, and achieve lasting success. Here are the keys to prioritize:

Strategist: Plan for future growth. Hold quarterly strategy sessions (even with a small team or peer group) to identify where your future profits will come from and then regularly review progress to stay on track

Innovator: Solve customer pain points with innovative solutions. Align your team around addressing these pains and stay flexible to quickly adapt to the changing market

Coach: Mentor your team directly. Help them understand the company vision and financial goals, fostering growth and alignment. Your team will thrive with hands-on coaching

Builder: Build strong client relationships. Regularly meet customers to understand their needs and challenges. Use these insights to refine your offerings and strengthen trust

Owner: Treat your small business like an asset. Know its value and focus on decisions that improve its bottom line and long-term worth

Scholar: Continuously develop your leadership skills. Invest in learning beyond your industry—grow as a leader and communicator to scale your business effectively

Accountability to the CEO Role

Winnipeg small business leaders inevitably wear many hats and the temptation to stick to the tasks you are good at and enjoy is ever-present. These tips will keep you focused on CEO-level activities:

• CEO Tasks: When juggling duties, ask: Is this a CEO task? If not, why am I doing it, for how long do I need to own this task, and who will I pass it to?

• CEO Priorities: There is always going to be a never-ending task list, regularly review your list and make sure you are prioritizing CEO tasks and delegating others

• CEO Vision: In addition to a company vision, develop a personal vision for your role as CEO

• CEO goals: Develop a one-page CEO success profile to guide daily decisions and stay aligned with your priorities.

By embracing these six roles, you’ll empower your team, focus on growth, and lead your business toward a brighter future.

As Winnipeg business owners, let’s focus on CEO tasks and find ways to let go of the non-CEO tasks as soon as it makes sense.

Our path to growth begins with asking the question "Is this a CEO task?" and then finding a way to remove the tasks that aren't.

What CEO tasks are you doing that you should pass on to a capable team member or contractor?

“Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don’t want to run out of gas on your trip, but you’re not doing a tour of gas stations.” — Tim O’Reilly