Another character in this chronicle is the CEO, one of the more hip and perspicacious leaders I’ve had the pleasure to work with. And he blogs. Alot. About his company, the industry, food and music. I enjoy reading his food posts the most, since I don’t get to travel around the world pitching my company and dining on the expense account in the best restaurants a cosmopolitan city has to offer.

Yesterday the Designer met with the client again to present two new conceptual design refinements. As he was taking the team (same client-side attendees plus the CEO) through the revisions, the CEO asked to see the initial design presentation. He immediately gravitated toward the angle that yanks their brand into new visual territory. Same terrain, much better view.

It’s rare to work with a company led by a ballsy CEO. And this isn’t just about balls for balls sake, it’s about having a clear vision of where you want to take your company and making quick, instinctual decisions that further that goal. I don’t work with him everyday, but that’s my outsider impression of this CEO.

I was not at this meeting. But my meeting with the CEO about their tagline followed a similar script. We presented 10 taglines. He quickly threw out 7 of them. We discussed the other 3 for 45 minutes. The Marketing Director gravitated toward one idea, while the CEO homed in on the most abstract and aggressive idea. Despite a tagline that resonated, at one point he asked if that was all we came up with. That’s code for, gimme another round. We didn’t nail it, and he knew it.

Being being ballsy also means getting your money’s worth. There’s an unwritten code that you always push your creative team for a second round. Being on the receiving end of that directive can be frustrating, and I’ll be honest, more than once I’ve deliberately held a great idea for round two just to spare myself the extra work.

So. Ballsy. We’ll see how far that goes.