The Most Effective Executives are the Mind (Not the Face) of Their Brands

What words come to mind when you hear the title Chief Executive Officer?

You may think of terms like: strategy, leadership, decision-maker, visionary.

You picture a person with a mind for business, someone whose success hinges on their ability to think critically and communicate effectively. Their thinking steers the company. 

Most often, these effective thinkers and communicators remain quiet within their businesses. The chief executive doesn’t see themself as a marketer. They’re repulsed by the notion of being a content creator.

They see the hacky side of “personal branding” that spirals quickly downward into conversations about follower counts, social media algorithms, and post impressions. Most executives frankly don’t give a shit.

They don’t care to be the “face” of their company. They’d rather be their company’s quiet mind. 

For years, I’ve worked as a ghostwriter for business executives. My best partnerships have been with executives with exactly this “quiet mind” temperament. They don’t give much weight to TikTok or Twitter fame. But they do care about being well-known within niche circles. 

Executives have the advantage of influence. Journalists, competitors, customers, peers, and employees give time to your ideas because there is gravity to your title. 

The way I see it, you can use this advantage in one of three ways: 

1. Be a silent builder who seldom shares ideas publicly. You spend all your creative energy internally to support your team.

2. Play the media game to build a personal brand. Study the algorithms. Hire a personal branding agency. Create punchy content to earn viral social media fame.

3.  Share your thinking publicly to become known for your ideas. Lead your industry conversation through depth of insight.

It’s that last one that most resonates with me. I love workshopping ideas with my clients. My goal as a writer and marketer is to help my clients clarify their thinking. I care about the craft of a story as much as its substance. 

The difference comes down to the audience: My clients aren’t trying to reach just anyone. They’re often trying to reach people in positions of leadership like their own. That means writing to smart, time-strapped, curious people who think and make decisions for a living. 

This audience looks to glean from intelligent conversation, nuanced writing, and good storytelling. They like to wrestle with novel ideas and can handle technical, esoteric topics. The audience is relatively small in number but massive in impact.

What does it take to get in front of that audience? It’s earned through craft and clear, cogent thinking. 

This doesn’t feel or look like marketing, but in my opinion, it’s the most effective marketing an individual can achieve on their own. Think of Jeff Bezos speaking on stage at an event. Consider Warren Buffett’s shareholder letters. Look at how Jason Fried uses Twitter to write thoughtful articles with depth and nuance, instead of publishing empty business platitudes. 

There are those who game media. They use templates and volume to make up for depth. My favorite people to help online are those who care about the opposite. They want to be known for their thinking. Quality matters more than quantity. 

They work more like journalists than content creators. Most of the work is what readers don’t see: Interviews, reading, thinking, problem solving, and meticulous attention to small details.

What is the result? You really become known as the mind of your company, known for your thinking. You come across focused and level-headed.

When you publish a book, it defines the industry. When you speak on podcasts, the conversation is nuanced and not rehearsed. People attend your keynote with a notepad in hand. Your essays may not go viral with thousands of shares on social media. Instead, they are passed along in the backchannels over text messages and email by your intended audience. 

All of this combines to convey a meta message to competitors and customers: If you put this much consideration and ideation into your thinking, what does this say about the force of your product and the depth of your brand?