Over the past few years, I've learned a lot about being a CEO. You need to have eyes in the back of your head, be diplomatic, this, that and the other.
I think what caught me off guard as being a CEO is the large amount of time you need to be focusing on recruiting. Even after you reach your desired member count, your recruiting does not stop there. It goes on for retention, morale, and rewards.
Basically, for any new CEO's out there, ensure that you have someone in your corporation that is assigned the recruiter roles, and that you are communicating with that person about your personnel requirements and expectations. "One out, One in" is a common rule to maintain personnel levels, another one for expansion is for every 1 player who leaves (for whatever reason: inactivity, RL, they want to pirate, ect) you bring on two new players to replace him. This way, turnover turns into growth. The problem is if these people are leaving due to morale, you will be recruiting 10 times harder than you need to.
The Three Keys to Retention:
Active Recruiting
Recruiting can be done in dozens of different ways, and doesn't have to be tedious. Pitching in as a team and doing recruitment drives really helps to balance the work load, and if you're focusing on quality over quantity, you will have a solid member base in no time.
Active Member Base
A member base that is online frequently and that does ops together, communicates using voice, and learns how the rest of the team works is more likely to be successful in helping to retain an individual than almost any thing else.
Efficient Problem Resolution
If problems arise in your team, and they will, the key is to resolving them swiftly. Most CEO's I know get blindsided by problems they didn't even know existed. By mandating that each member of your Leadership Team have an open door policy about issues, as well as providing an anonymous email address or feedback form, players will be able and comfortable coming to you with their concerns and will thus feel like they aren't a wallflower within your corporation.
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Take this advise as a guideline. There are too many things to keep in mind when being a CEO. Best thing is that if you are diplomatic and you always approach new situations with an open mind, then you should do fine. When you hit speed bumps, they hurt. You just gotta get back up and keep on truckin'. And when the going get tough, the tough grab Corona's and head to Providence.
