A CEO’s Personal Brand Is Not The Company Brand

Every time I turn on industry news, scroll through LinkedIn, or attend a conference, it’s the same faces (typically white males ones). The same CEOs running from appearance to appearance spouting the same talking points, occasionally calling each other out. 

Look, I get it. You’re the face of the company. But if you’re the only face, that’s a problem, not just for you, but for your business and the entire industry.

Why Is This a Problem?

1. It Gets Boring
   No offense, but people are going to get bored of you. If they keep seeing your face and hearing the same takes, they’ll tune out. Engagement drops. People stop showing up to hear you speak. Your "hot takes" become lukewarm.

2. The Brand Becomes You
   Your business gets lost in the shadow of your personality. That might be great for your personal brand, but in a lot of cases, it’s not helping your team or your customers understand what your company actually does.

3. Your Focus Gets Divided
   You're not a professional speaker or influencer (unless you secretly want to be). You’re supposed to be running a company. Every hour you spend prepping for a media appearance is an hour you’re not building your team, solving real problems, or growing your business.

4. Ego Inflation Is Real
   When you’re constantly in the spotlight, it’s easy to start believing your own hype. But remember, just because people look up to you doesn’t mean you’re more important than them. You’re not the main character of this industry. No one is.

5.  The Risk Gets Personal
   The more visible you are, the more people will come for you. You will get criticized. And if you retaliate, it won’t just reflect on you, it reflects on your whole company. When you're the public face, the consequences of your words and actions affect more than just yourself.

What Should You Do Instead?

1. Share the Spotlight
   Start intentionally passing the mic. Look around your organization, who’s doing interesting work? Who has a fresh take? Who’s earned the chance to represent the company publicly? Send those people to speak on panels, give interviews, and be featured in media stories.

2. Diversify Your Representation
   Representation matters. If your leadership team is all speaking the same way and looks the same, that’s a missed opportunity. Let different voices, backgrounds, and departments show up on behalf of your brand. This builds trust and helps your company actually look like the communities they work in.

3. Invest in Media Training
   Don’t throw your team into the spotlight unprepared. Give them the tools and coaching they need to speak clearly, confidently, and on-message. This also builds internal loyalty and professional development, which helps with retention.

4.  Let Your Work Speak Louder
   Focus on building something worth talking about. If your company is solving real problems and doing it well, your team doesn’t need a single spokesperson. You’ll have a bench full of people who can talk about real impact, and that’s way more interesting than the same old CEO soundbite.

5. Make Public Speaking a Privilege, Not a Perk
   Use speaking engagements, media features, and interviews as ways to recognize and reward great work inside your company. Turn them into growth opportunities for your team, not just branding opportunities for yourself.

The bottom line: Your job as CEO isn’t to be the face of everything. It’s to build a business full of capable, credible people who can speak for themselves, and for the company. Let them.

It’s better for you, better for your team, and better for the industry as a whole.