The title of chief executive officer carries a consistent set of expectations, but the job itself varies enormously depending on the type of company a leader helms. Michael Polk Newell Brands, whose career spans senior roles at Kraft, Unilever, and Newell Brands, have seen that contrast play out across decades of experience.

Managing Investors vs. Managing Teams

In the public company world, investor relations is not an afterthought. Polk spent roughly a third of his working hours engaging with investors and public markets during his years at the helm of major corporations. The demands of that relationship shape how a CEO prioritizes time and where decisions get made. “There are lots of different variables that can contribute to the kind and scope of work being different for a CEO,” he says.

At a large multinational like Unilever, strategic delegation is the primary mode of operating. The CEO casts the vision and allocates resources, but much of the execution happens through experienced managers below. “The way you do that is by focusing on the strategic agenda of the company in allocating resources in a way that delivers against the strategic plan you’ve got. You’re typically working through other people and leading through other people to get things done,” Polk explains. e

Closer to the Work at Implus

At Implus, the equation shifts. Michael Polk is directly involved in marketing, commercial strategy, and go-to-market planning because the company’s smaller size and younger team demand that kind of presence. He finds genuine energy in that work. The employees he describes are competitive and motivated, even if they lack the broad experience of veterans at global firms.

Private ownership also changes the time horizon for decision-making. Without the pressure of quarterly earnings reports, Polk and his team can prioritize longer-term development over short-term performance metrics. “Our owners are focused on the strategic development of the company because they know that this orientation will contribute to the long-term health of the company,” he notes. For Michael Polk, that freedom is one of the more compelling aspects of his current chapter. Read this article for additional information.

 

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