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Right now, the focus in the industry is on ecosystems and how to build them. It's not something that happens overnight with a snap of the fingers.Getty
When you're working for a startup, it's normal to find yourself with your job title. And when you're working at a startup in an emerging industry, it's all about your role.
So, what do you do when you do not fit your role?
You make a new one, of course.
Right now, the focus in the industry is on ecosystems and how to build them. It's not something that happens overnight with a snap of the fingers. I know, everyone has to combine a number of different elements and strategies to help build and maintain our ecosystems.
Which is why I finally sat down one day and wrote the description for a new position: Chief Ecosystem Officer (CECO).
Here's why I did it, and why every blockchain company should seriously consider hiring one.
The Road To The CECO Role
After getting involved in the blockchain and crypto industries, I spent a lot of time working on the market about blockchain technology. Most people did not know what they were, and they were difficult to get media coverage for the industry.
In 2017 and 2018, blockchain found its way into the public sphere. The explosion of ICOs created a new awareness in the market, but also presented a number of challenges. Instead of simply trying to educate customers about the benefits of the blockchain, I also had to begin actively battling misinformation. Many people had a knowledge of blockchain or Bitcoin, but they were being bombarded by what I would generously call less-than-accurate information.
I know, I knew the space needed to focus on the idea of leadership, education, and helping people understand what they could do with technology. Because honestly, you can not send people to you but you do not want to showing them examples.
I thought it was a lot of this work. I have moved from the position of CMO, but I knew that to traditional CMO. What's a conventional about what we're doing in this space?
That notion was the spark that created the CECO role.
The Responsibilities Of A Chief Ecosystem Officer
The CECO role is a combination of business development, growth, marketing, thought leadership, product development and business model development.& nbsp; With such a large number of potential responsibilities, it's easy to break the position down into the three main components:
1. Ecosystem Acquisition / Conversion
It is a little bit more like the tradition of business development, but it also mixes in evangelism – which could be anything from the study or outreach to education or requirements gathering. The CECO will also handle inbound requests.
Outreach includes people who have the potential to be "ecosystem champions." These are individuals who hold leading positions in an industry with strong potential use cases for blockchain.
2. Ecosystem Incubation
This portion of the role deals with the internally incubated ecosystems, businesses and tools.
It's important to note that all of them are exactly alike. For example, some companies build and launch ecosystems internally for use by one industry, while other ecosystems are built on top of existing protocols. So, the CECO is responsible for a range of ecosystems and initiatives that are to be cultivated until they can stand on their own two feet.
3. Ecosystem Growth And Retention
This part of the CECO position involves technical evangelism, as well as the implementation of the running ecosystems on top of your network.
For instance, let's say in a few months you're launching a protocol to automate payments. That protocol will involve standard marketing elements, but it also needs to include education about the protocol's potential. Users have to be shown how they can be creative and incorporate the new protocol into their ecosystem and improve their business models.
The Skill Set Required To Become CECO
The CECO role requires a lot of creativity, but it also has a strong analytical aspect to it. I think he is a mix of experience – someone who has started or scaled companies but who is also capable of working creatively with product design and development.
Looking for potential investors, looking for potential investors, looking for potential investors, looking for potential investors.
You also have to be creative enough to envision capabilities within the ecosystem that simply were not possible in the past.
The & nbsp; position is very cross-functional and involve a number of different skill sets. Eventually, I envision teams will grow to include all of them. Business analysts, customer acquisition and conversion specialists, ecosystem managers – they all fall under this umbrella.
I am encouraging any business in the space to begin looking for their strategy for doing so. Hiring a Chief Ecosystem Officer is only one step, but it is a step in the right direction.
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Right now, the focus in the industry is on ecosystems and how to build them. It's not something that happens overnight with a snap of the fingers.Getty
When you're working for a startup, it's normal to find yourself with your job title. And when you're working at a startup in an emerging industry, it's all about your role.
So, what do you do when you do not fit your role?
You make a new one, of course.
Right now, the focus in the industry is on ecosystems and how to build them. It's not something that happens overnight with a snap of the fingers. I know, everyone has to combine a number of different elements and strategies to help build and maintain our ecosystems.
Which is why I finally sat down one day and wrote the description for a new position: Chief Ecosystem Officer (CECO).
Here's why I did it, and why every blockchain company should seriously consider hiring one.
The Road To The CECO Role
After getting involved in the blockchain and crypto industries, I spent a lot of time working on the market about blockchain technology. Most people did not know what they were, and they were difficult to get media coverage for the industry.
In 2017 and 2018, blockchain found its way into the public sphere. The explosion of ICOs created a new awareness in the market, but also presented a number of challenges. Instead of simply trying to educate customers about the benefits of the blockchain, I also had to begin actively battling misinformation. Many people had a knowledge of blockchain or Bitcoin, but they were being bombarded by what I would generously call less-than-accurate information.
I know, I knew the space needed to focus on the idea of leadership, education, and helping people understand what they could do with technology. Because honestly, you can not send people to you but you do not want to showing them examples.
I thought it was a lot of this work. I have moved from the position of CMO, but I knew that to traditional CMO. What's a conventional about what we're doing in this space?
That notion was the spark that created the CECO role.
The Responsibilities Of A Chief Ecosystem Officer
The CECO role is a combination of business development, growth, marketing, thought leadership, product development and business model development. It's easy to break the position down into the three main components:
1. Ecosystem Acquisition / Conversion
It is a little bit more like the tradition of business development, but it also mixes in evangelism – which could be anything from the study or outreach to education or requirements gathering. The CECO will also handle inbound requests.
Outreach includes people who have the potential to be "ecosystem champions." These are individuals who hold leading positions in an industry with strong potential use cases for blockchain.
2. Ecosystem Incubation
This portion of the role deals with the internally incubated ecosystems, businesses and tools.
It's important to note that all of them are exactly alike. For example, some companies build and launch ecosystems internally for use by one industry, while other ecosystems are built on top of existing protocols. So, the CECO is responsible for a range of ecosystems and initiatives that are to be cultivated until they can stand on their own two feet.
3. Ecosystem Growth And Retention
This part of the CECO position involves technical evangelism, as well as the implementation of the running ecosystems on top of your network.
For instance, let's say in a few months you're launching a protocol to automate payments. That protocol will involve standard marketing elements, but it also needs to include education about the protocol's potential. Users have to be shown how they can be creative and incorporate the new protocol into their ecosystem and improve their business models.
The Skill Set Required To Become A CECO
The CECO role requires a lot of creativity, but it also has a strong analytical aspect to it. I think he is a mix of experience – someone who has started or scaled companies but who is also capable of working creatively with product design and development.
Looking for potential investors, looking for potential investors, looking for potential investors, looking for potential investors.
You also have to be creative enough to envision capabilities within the ecosystem that simply were not possible in the past.
The position is very cross-functional and involves a number of different skill sets. Eventually, I envision teams will grow to include all of them. Business analysts, customer acquisition and conversion specialists, ecosystem managers – they all fall under this umbrella.
I am encouraging any business in the space to begin looking for their strategy for doing so. Hiring a Chief Ecosystem Officer is only one step, but it is a step in the right direction.
