Call a horse, a horse

With the magnificent boom of start-up companies in the last 2 decades, we have lost track of the meaning of titles.  Anyone can start their own company and instantly be "CEO" but not all business owners are cut out for the job.  Not to mention that these start ups hand out titles like candy and have even started making up new titles.

To be the Chief Executive Officer, you need other executive level officers.  To be a director, you have to have a department to direct.  To be a manager, you have to have resources to manage.  

Small companies don't have a bunch of employees with titles.  They have a team of employees who are all using their particular skill sets to push the company forward.  Regardless of title, there are 3 types of people; visionaries, strategists, and workers.  

The visionary is the person who understands why the business exists.  He/she sees the future and knows that's where the company needs to be.  In a company with an executive team, this should be the CEO. 

The strategist is the one who figures out how to get to that future.  The strategist is masterful at putting concrete plans to abstract ideas.   

Workers are the ones who actually move the company forward and get things done.

We don't all fit nicely into just one slot.  Many people possess traits from all three areas.  It is also worth noting that a person from any 1 of these three areas can successfully start a business.

I'm a strategist.  Do you know what role you play?