I’ve been the CEO of Thor3D for three months now. Time to take stock.
The good…
- Having concentrated all my time on sales and marketing in the past, it’s refreshing to dive into all the technical “nooks and crannies” of our operations.
- It’s exciting to have a hand in all the financial and administrative decisions taking place in the company. Admittedly, I still defer to our accountants for most of the tax decisions.
- The R&D guys are exceptionally passionate about their jobs. Everyday, I gain a new appreciation for their skills and their enthusiasm. I never spent much time with them before, but now it’s one of my new favorite parts of the job.
The not-so-good…
- 9 out of 10 times when I want to do something – I have to moderate my fervor. I have to prioritize. I have to accept the fact that we can’t afford everything we want to do at once. One step at a time.
- The team I left behind at “Sales/Marketing” is doing a good job without my daily input. They don’t need me. The new Director of Sales is doing a great job. It’s always a blow to the ego, when you realize that you are not irreplaceable.
The frivolous…
- I still have no say in what coffee we have in the office and where we have our end-of-the-year party for the staff. The Director of Operations has a strong hold on that part of administration.
- I thought I had a lot of emails as Director of Sales. Wow. Nowadays, I answer one and I get four back. I’ve developed a strategy: answer all emails after 8pm and you won’t get too many responses until the next day. This way you have a chance to read the whole inbox.
The first time I really “felt” as the CEO was, weirdly enough, at the holiday party in December. I said the toast at the beginning of the festivities, recounting the company’s achievements of 2018. It was cliché, but I think it needed to be done. I was surprised – I really enjoyed it. I looked at the smiling faces of my colleagues and with a glass of a fine Pinot Grigio in my hand, recounted our successes and our challenges and in that instance experienced an overwhelming feeling of pride.
Anna Zevelyov
CEO, Thor3D