Title: The New Path to C-Suite Leadership
Study: The New Path To The C-Suite (Boris Groysberg, L. Kevin Kelley, and Bryan McDonald, The Harvard Business Review 2011)
Finding: Would-be executives in each functional area have different paths to follow to the top. Learn what helps those in your specialty succeed and your path becomes easier.
InPower Insight: The traditional paths to c-suite leadership are shifting. Women who want to climb the ladder all the way can take advantage of these changes.
Summary:
Editor’s note: This isn’t a typical study we publish because it doesn’t focus on women, however, the insights on how to excel are so extensive we want women to know about it!
Harvard Business Review looked at in-depth at what it takes to get to the CFO slot vs. the CIO slot and several others. One of their most significant findings is that – across specialty – leadership skills and a strong understanding of business fundamentals outweighs the benefits of technical skills alone. Chief information and chief marketing and sales officers are most sought after when they have the ability to contribute to key plans and strategies, can develop infrastructure, understand financial aspects of the business, have strong communication skills, decipher risk management, and can build exceptional networks.
Read the full article and study up on your own specialty here.
Personal Coaching Tip: No matter what you read (here or anywhere else) there is no single path to the top. Getting smart about what works for others in your field is only part of the puzzle. Add to that how others succeed in your company and what special opportunities are available to you because of your unique experience, skill set and network. The insight this research adds is that being good at the job you’re doing today will only get you so far. You have to become proficient at understanding and managing the business as a whole, gain strategic skills and have a global perspective. Leaders don’t just do work, they lead businesses. Start expanding your business knowledge early on and your path to the top will become that much more attainable.
Guide to Women in Leadership
Organizations with women in their executive suites regularly out-perform others. Yet rising female executives (and their mentors) are frustrated at how hard it is to break through the glass ceiling. In this extensive guide, Executive Coach Dana Theus shares her tried and true strategies to help women excel into higher levels of leadership and achieve their executive potential.
