Ever dream about being the boss of bosses? Like being the CEO. You make all the decisions, you’ve built your dream team, and your life is good, right?

Well, as the title suggests...the reality is slightly different.

Enter Devin Bramhall, former CEO of content agency, Animalz, growth advisor, and host of the Don’t Say Content podcast. She shares her personal stories of her worst bosses, her come up from marketing manager to CEO, and the lessons she’s learned about building teams and creating real impact from the top down. The kicker? It was HARD. The hard decisions, tough moments, and lessons to learn don’t stop when you reach the top. But that’s what makes it one of the most impactful and rewarding jobs out there.

A few things she’s learned:

1️⃣ Making unpopular decisions is necessary and good. This often means taking risks and navigating through challenges and uncertainties. Stepping back and thinking of the whole business first is key—your employees cannot thrive without a thriving business. 2️⃣ Communication and boundaries are extremely important. How much transparency is too much? How much emotion should you share? These are balancing acts a CEO must play and keep in place to navigate the complex issues that will arise. 3️⃣ Leadership demands constant adaptability and problem-solving. CEOs must navigate through uncertainty and changing circumstances constantly. They need to think on their feet, find creative solutions, and guide their team through ambiguity while maintaining a sense of stability and direction.

Jump into the conversation:

(03:17) How Devin moved up quickly

(05:19) Asking for her boss’s job

(07:11) Managing a team as the CEO

(12:52) Leading with trust isn’t always the best

(14:52) Internal comms need to be strategic

(16:38) Being a female CEO

(18:50) Different types of good manager profiles

(20:55) Devin’s bad bosses

(23:23) Why we don’t make progress on DE&I

(26:27) Hierarchy and org charts are made up (31:30) Rapid Fire Questions

Connect with Joei: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeichan/ Subscribe to GBBB’s Substack: https://joeichan.substack.com/ Leave a message for Joei: https://www.speakpipe.com/goodbossbadboss

Check out Devin’s podcast, Don’t Say Content: https://www.dontsaycontent.com/

Produced by Share Your Genius https://www.shareyourgenius.com/

Artistic direction by Alexandre Lenoble https://www.alexandrelenoble.com/