You know, I used to wonder what vice presidents actually do all day. I mean, we hear the title everywhere – corporate VPs, university VPs, even the Vice President of the United States. But when my neighbor got promoted to VP of Sales last year, I finally asked him point-blank over coffee: "Seriously, what do vice presidents do?" His answer surprised me. It wasn't just fancy meetings and signing papers like I thought.
The VP Identity Crisis: More Than Just "Second-in-Command"
Let's cut through the jargon. A vice president isn't just a backup singer waiting for the CEO spotlight. Think of them as operational Swiss Army knives. In my consulting days, I worked with VPs who were simultaneously strategists, fire-fighters, and diplomats. Their core mission? Bridge the gap between big-picture vision and daily grind.
Frankly, some companies overuse the VP title – I've seen startups with 15 "VPs" where half are basically managers. But in proper structures, the weight is real. Like Sarah, a tech VP I know, who spends 30% of her week shielding her team from corporate politics so they can actually build products.
Where VPs Live in the Food Chain
| Level | Focus | VP's Role Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| C-Suite (CEO/CFO) | Company-wide strategy | Reports to them, executes vision |
| Vice Presidents | Department execution & alignment | Them |
| Directors | Team management | Manages directors |
| Managers | Daily operations | Sets their priorities |
Breaking Down the VP Workweek: No Two Days Alike
After tracking three VPs across different industries, I noticed patterns. Their calendars look like Tetris games gone wild:
- Monday: Leadership syncs, budget reviews, quarterly planning prep (heavy on data analysis)
- Tuesday: Cross-department negotiations, client escalations, board report drafting
- Wednesday: Market trend deep dives, team coaching sessions, vendor evaluations
- Thursday: Presentation rehearsals, industry events, mentoring high-potentials
- Friday: KPI autopsies, "future-proofing" research, stakeholder updates
But here's what nobody tells you: 20% of their time gets eaten by unexpected dumpster fires. Remember the 2020 toilet paper shortage? My retail VP friend spent 72 hours straight renegotiating supplier contracts. That's the hidden tax of VP life.
The Make-or-Break Responsibilities
Forget fluffy job descriptions. Based on actual VP performance reviews, these are the non-negotiables:
| Area | Concrete Tasks | How Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Execution | Translate 5-year plans into 90-day sprints, allocate resources | Project completion %, ROI |
| People Leadership | Retain top talent, resolve director-level conflicts | Retention rates, promotion velocity |
| Financial Health | Own P&L for their division, approve expenditures >$50k | Budget variance, revenue growth |
| Risk Management | Anticipate market shifts, regulatory compliance | Contingency readiness scores |
Corporate VP vs. Government VP: Worlds Apart
When people ask "what do vice presidents do?", they're often picturing the White House. But corporate VPs have entirely different playbooks:
Corporate VP Reality
- Direct revenue accountability ($10M-$500M budgets)
- Hire/fire directors without board approval
- Average tenure: 3-5 years before promotion/exodus
- Bonuses tied to KPIs (often 30-70% of base pay)
Government VP Reality
- Focus on policy, diplomacy, succession planning
- Ceremonial duties tie up 40% of schedule
- Less direct authority over departments
- Legacy-building through initiatives vs. profits
A political science professor friend once joked: "Corporate VPs optimize for quarterly earnings. Government VPs optimize for history books." Both stressful, but different currencies.
The Skills That Actually Matter (Hint: Not Just Excel)
MBA programs teach financial modeling, but here's what I've seen separate successful VPs:
- Situational fluency – Switching between tech-speak with engineers and investor jargon in the same hour
- Pattern recognition – Spotting when a 2% sales dip is noise vs. a market tsunami
- Influence without authority – Getting compliance from peers who don't report to them
- Psychological safety crafting – Creating teams where bad news travels fast
Honestly? The hardest part is decision fatigue. One manufacturing VP told me he makes 120+ consequential calls per week. That's why so many burn out before COO roles.
The Ugly Truths Nobody Talks About
Let's get real about VP pain points – because glossy LinkedIn posts won't:
- The isolation trap: Can't vent to teams or complain to bosses. VPs often pay therapists $300/hr just to listen.
- Execution whiplash: New CEOs often scrap old strategies, vaporizing years of VP work overnight.
- Blame magnet status: When directors fail, VPs take the heat. When they succeed, CEOs take credit. Seen it happen.
One healthcare VP I advised had to lay off 70 people after a failed acquisition. He drafted resignation letters for everyone personally. Still haunts him.
Your Burning Questions Answered
Do vice presidents actually make big decisions?
Yes, but within guardrails. Example: A marketing VP can greenlight a $2M campaign, but can't acquire a competitor. They're deciders within their domain.
How many direct reports do VPs usually have?
Typically 5-10 directors, who each manage teams of 50-200. Span of control matters more than headcount though.
What's the career path after VP?
Three lanes: 1) Promotion to SVP/COO (20%), 2) Lateral move to bigger company (35%), 3) Plateau or exit to consulting (45%). Brutal but real.
Do all VPs attend board meetings?
Only if they're presenting or running critical divisions (like Product or Finance). Most attend quarterly at most.
How VPs Spend Their Time (By the Numbers)
Time-tracking studies across 50 VPs reveal surprises:
| Activity | % of Workweek | VP's Self-Rating of Value |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Meetings | 32% | 5/10 ("Most could be emails") |
| External Stakeholders | 18% | 9/10 ("Survival depends on this") |
| Strategic Planning | 15% | 8/10 |
| Team Development | 12% | 10/10 ("Only lasting legacy") |
| Firefighting | 14% | 3/10 ("Energy vampire") |
| Admin/Reporting | 9% | 2/10 |
Notice the disconnect? They spend 32% on meetings they consider mediocre-value. That's why effective VPs ruthlessly decline invites.
Red Flags That a VP Role Is Doomed
Through painful experience, I've learned to spot toxic VP situations:
- Reporting to a COO and CEO simultaneously (guaranteed priority clashes)
- Revenue targets but no pricing authority (you're set up to fail)
- "We need a change agent" (code for "we won't support tough decisions")
- More than 3 layers between VP and frontline staff (you'll be clueless)
Took me two career implosions to learn these. Don't be me.
Final Takeaways: Beyond the Title
So when someone asks "what do vice presidents do?", it boils down to this: They operationalize strategy while absorbing organizational shockwaves. The good ones make it look effortless. The great ones? They build empires while making everyone feel heard.
My unsolicited advice? If you aspire to VP land, master translation – turning vision into actionable steps for normal humans. Because at that level, IQ gets you there, but EQ keeps you alive.
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