From Jamie Anderson, CEO of Age UK Wirral, in an [email from NCVO](hook://email/cm.1745033201553.zuhiln.msuhkydh.t%40cmail19.com): _I always remember a couple of years ago my nephew asking me, “what exactly is it you do?”_ _“What a stupid question - you know what I do, I'm the Chief Executive!”_ _“Yeah, but what exactly does that mean?  What actually is it that you do work wise?”_ _And in that moment a thousand possible explanations crossed my mind but none of them really described the role._ _I k==eep all the plates spinning==._ _I'm there to be the ==jack of all trades and the master of all trades==._ _I'm there to ==provide the vision and operationally lead the entire organisation==._ _I empty the bins when the cleaner is off._ _The reality is that the breadth of what a Chief Executive role means in a VCFSE organisation is almost impossible to eloquently and succinctly describe accurately._  _Early in my career I remember CEO vacancies where the CEO was only a figurehead - only there to network and externally represent the organisation._ _Fast forward 25 years and as CEO we are expected to have the most extensive set of skills and competencies in the world._  _We need ==commercial acumen== as we are tasked by trustees to increase unrestricted income by 100% in a week._ _We are expected to be magicians as we treble the number of new volunteers overnight in response to capacity pressures._ _We need to have ==NATO level negotiation skills== as we navigate the relationships and tensions between volunteers, staff, trustees, commissioners, funders, clients, and the general public._  _We need to have one foot in the present and two feet in the future as we deal with what's happening today and ==predict the future==._  _As we are still getting used to remembering to unmute ourselves in virtual meetings we need to be proficient in our understanding of AI and already have a strategy in place in relation to how AI will underpin our business efficiency moving forward._  _And let's not also forget that we need to be experts in ==environmental sustainability== and driving our organisation's net zero work._ _And that's just the tip of the iceberg._ _When things are going well being a leader of a VCFSE organisation is an incredible privilege and can be massively rewarding and inspiring._   _But the environment we work in is extremely volatile, things are constantly changing and emerging, and when things start to become challenging it can be incredibly easy to start losing ourselves._  _‘It's lonely at the top’ is a phrase that probably only truly makes sense when you've been there and experienced it._ ## My thoughts - My job is to - manage discord and promote harmony. - encourage people to lean into disagreement and away from argument.