Chief Executive Group: Leader/Follower Relationships

As part of my summer internship experience, I have been carefully observing and reflecting on the leader-follower dynamics within the Chief Executive Group team, with a particular focus on how they have adapted to the impacts of COVID-19. One important factor that contributes to the overall dynamic of the organization is that the two CEOs, Wayne and Marshall, are brothers. Additionally, Wayne’s wife Lisa and his son Kenton are also a part of the Chief Executive Team. The notion that several of the team members are family truly illustrates the very close-knit nature of the organization, in addition to providing insight into how it operates. The company is very small and it is clear that everyone is extremely familiar and comfortable with one another based on my observations during our virtual meetings alone. Furthermore, it has become evident that there is very little hierarchy within the team and that the members truly care for one another and fully trust their leaders. This concept is exemplified by the fact that, while team members may be split up into different smaller departments, they still go out of their way to give shout-outs to all their fellow colleagues for their accomplishments. This finding illustrates how team members are not limited to only engaging with colleagues within their departments and instead interact with the entirety of the team depending on what a given project requires. Additionally, while Wayne and Marshall are the appointed leaders within the organization, it is clear that the opinions of every member of the team are valued and taken into account when important decisions are being made. For example, given the immense impacts of COVID-19, Chief executive has been unable to host the in-person CEO events that they have previously considered one of their most lucrative revenue streams. As a result, many of our virtual meetings have involved team-wide brainstorms to come up with new content for webinars and additional ways to overcome the newfound obstacles that have resulted from COVID-19. This sheds light on both the decentralized nature of the decision-making process at Chief Executive and the highly participative leadership style used by the C-suite executives.