The role of a CEO is evolving.
I think one of the highest ROI activities a modern CEO can do is to spend 10% of their time per week CREATING.
Take Kit.com CEO Nathan Barry. He bootstrapped a SaaS company to 40M+ in ARR. That’s a crazy outlier outcome.
He is a modern CEO, harnessing creator tools which built unfair advantages.
Here’s why:
1. We Check Our Phones 144 Times Per Day
Like it or not, our lives are dominated by screens.
Research shows that people check their phones 144 times a day. This means if you want to reach your audience—whether they are customers, employees, or stakeholders—you need to show up where they spend their time: on their screens.
As a CEO, it’s not just about staying connected; it’s about leading in a way that resonates with the modern world. You must effectively connect with the people who matter most.
2. People Want to Follow People, Not Brands
The days of faceless corporations dominating the market are over.
Today, people are far more interested in following individuals than brands.
This is a major shift. And it is driven by erosion of trust.
For 24 years, Edelman's Trust Barometer has tracked global trust trends, and it hasn't been a pretty picture. From this year's report:
- Trust in brands and institutions plummeted during the pandemic.
- Only 50% of consumers have confidence in the brands they do business with.
- For Gen Z, that number drops to just 28% (while it’s highest among Boomers at 57%).
Yet, despite this erosion, consumers say they care more about trust now than ever before.
3. Commerce Follows Trust
To succeed, leaders must internalize a crucial truth: commerce follows trust. If this is the case, a CEO must become a student of what builds and maintains trust.
For a brand to genuinely connect with people, its leader needs to show up as a person, not just a logo. That’s why I started immersing myself in the world of elite creators in 2023.
While I loved my low-profile life, I also loved leading people and making an impact. So, I decided to embrace modern social media tools, get comfortable sharing my ideas, and consistently create content.
A modern CEO must be visible, authentic, and engaging—not just to humanize the brand but to build a genuine connection with the audience.
4. The Science of Trust: It’s the Small, Repeated Actions
Trust isn’t built overnight. According to Dr. John Gottman’s research, trust isn't earned through grand gestures but through small, repeated actions over time. You can lose trust in an instant, but you can’t gain it that way.
This is where consistent content creation shines.
By regularly sharing your values, insights, and personality, you build trust. And that trust drives business. Every piece of content you share—whether it’s a video, post, or article—contributes to the perception of who you are as a leader and what you stand for.
It’s the small, consistent actions that build the trust necessary for people to believe in you and your brand.
The Modern CEO’s Challenge: Systems and Teams
Yet, a CEO’s time is more stretched than ever, and content creation isn’t just a creative challenge; it’s a challenge of systems and teams. To be effective, you need the right support.
Right people. Right structure.
A modern CEO needs a dedicated team and robust systems to consistently create content.
- Great at verbalizing ideas? Your head of content can masterfully turn live discussions into compelling posts.
- Prefer writing long memos? Your team can transform these into socially native, short posts that still sound like you.
- Hate design? A talented designer will find joy in translating your ideas into impactful visuals.
The right team ensures that you stay within your 10% time commitment while achieving prolific output. They understand each platform's nuances, ensuring your content is authentic, impactful, and sustainable.
You don’t have to do it alone, but you do have to do it to compete and win in the modern marketplace of ideas and trust.
In today’s world, where trust and engagement have moved online, the modern CEO must embrace the role of a creator. It’s no longer optional—it’s the new table stakes for leadership.
For a deeper dive into how to structure a modern creator CEO team, check out my full conversation with Nathan Barry, where we explore this topic in more detail.
Sources
https://www.qualtrics.com/news/consumer-trust-languishes-at-2016-levels/
