Vice President

Batman and Robin. Bert and Ernie. Tom and Jerry. Laverne and Shirley. Great partnerships make the world go round — especially when that world is the business world, where even the best CEOs owe their success to dedicated executive teams that typically consist of one or several individuals who carry the title “Vice President.”

As the Vice President of a company, you’re a Manager who works with the CEO or President to plan and execute business strategies in pursuit of company goals and objectives. Depending on the size of your company and its management hierarchy, you might be a Senior Executive Vice President, an Executive Vice President, a Senior Vice President, or simply a Vice President. Almost always, however, you have oversight of three areas — people, processes, and budgets — in a single vertical within your enterprise. A Vice President of Marketing, for instance, oversees marketing personnel and spending on advertising; a Vice President of Sales supervises Sales Representatives and customer service; and a Vice President Of Finance manages accounting staff and bookkeeping procedures.

No matter what words precede (that is, Executive, Senior, etc.) or follow (that is, Marketing, Sales, Finance, etc.) your title, you’re part of an executive management team that sets goals, supervises employees, develops products, directs programs, and reviews results, perpetually pursuing lower costs and higher profits to the benefit of your shareholders.

Think of it this way: In the corporate version of “King Arthur,” you’re one of the Knights of the Round Table. Instead of a sword, however, you wield a very mighty briefcase!