1.
Get educated
Many CEOs complete an undergraduate degree first, work for
several years as an employee, rise through the ranks, and then return to an MBA
program to earn a graduate degree. The larger the company you're hoping to one day rise to the top
of, the more important it is that you attend (and graduate from) a school that
has some cachet attached to its name. Obviously, some CEOs never even graduated
college, but by the numbers, your best chance is to have a prestigious name on
your degree. Consider Ivy League schools, of course, but don't forget smaller
liberal arts colleges with respected business programs, either.
2.
Spend extra time learning finance
- Nothing helps a CEO make wise decisions for the
company quite like a strong base of financial knowledge. While you can study
and learn about finance and economics at any stage of your life, your college
years are probably the best opportunity you'll ever get. If you aren't majoring
in accounting, economics, or finance, take plenty of elective courses in those
areas – even consider a minor.
-
Once you're a part of the workforce, take advantage of any and
every opportunity your company offers to increase your financial knowledge with
seminars, special classes, and other events. A great CEO never stops
increasing, refreshing, or honing his or her knowledge.
3.
Make connections early
-
During college, attend business seminars and
networking events whenever you can. Apply to internships anywhere that you can
show off your leadership skills and willingness to work hard; keep applying
until you snag one (or more). Volunteer your time to help with charitable and
other events that will allow you to rub shoulders with other future
businesspeople. In short, act as though you're already climbing the corporate
ladder before you even start.
-
Don't hesitate. It's never too early to start making the right
impression on local business and civic leaders. You never know who might notice
you and help smooth the way to your first real career job with a good reference
or a kind word about you, when the time comes.
4. Shoot for the
stars
-
As soon as you get a job based on your college
qualifications (even if you're still in college at the time), treat it like you
want to own the whole company. Employees who bring a sense of vitality and
seriousness to their jobs are few and far between; be a company booster and a
team player, and rest assured, you will be noticed. Accept extra tasks with
zeal, and seek them out yourself whenever possible. Do everything you can to
show your bosses that you're serious about advancing your professional life.
-
Do your utmost to
get in touch with, and on friendly terms with, high-level executives in your
business and wherever else you meet them during the course of your career.
Observe the way they act and speak. You might even ask one to become a mentor
for you. The worst that he or she can say is “no,” and executives tend to
appreciate brashness over propriety anyway. An executive mentorship, if you can
get it, is a powerful tool for fast-tracking your career.
5. Stay Flexyble
-
It's not talked
about too often these days, but raw ambition is a very useful (some might even
say vital) trait for a business leader to possess. A part of being ambitious
and aggressive about advancing your career is being open to taking paths you
weren't expecting to take. At the very least, stay open to the possibility of
switching shifts or locations in order to secure an advancement. If you jump at
the chance to be a manager in a branch office somewhere far away, you'll
probably get the promotion over others who have reservations about it.
- Once you've been
with a company for a year or two, if you feel you're being passed over for
advancement, scan job listings regularly and apply to any position that seems
like a serious step up. A lot of CEOs started their careers as managers and junior
vice presidents for two or three related businesses before becoming the head of
their own company.
6. Join a Board
-
If you can, elect to become a member of the board of directors at a
respectable company. This gives you valuable experience you can use to interact
with the board at your own company once you become a CEO. It's also an
excellent feather in your cap, as nearly half of all CEOs in the United States
served as board members at some point previous to becoming CEOs.
7. Understand what a CEO does
-
The CEO of a company isn't necessarily the founder or even the owner; a
CEO isn't quite the same thing as an entrepreneur. A CEO isn't a mere
bookkeeper or office monkey, though, either. Rather, the CEO's job is torun the company: oversee financial decisions,
resolve imbalances, and keep things on track for more profitability each and
every year. This means a great CEO is a combination of an ideas person (like an
entrepreneur), willing to take risks and think big; and a hands-on person,
eagle-eyed in matters of money and human resources, always willing to dig into
the details until everything is perfect.
8. Rely on experience
-
Most CEOs attain their position after
many years – sometimes decades – in the same industry, or even at the same
company. nce you reach the top, don't forget your roots. Use all that you know
about your business (or area of business) to run it as efficiently as possible:
differences between written policy and practical “ground rules;” connections
who can give you insight into places you're no longer closely connected to;
attitudes and beliefs among low-level employees about the business.
9. Lead with vision
-
To be a truly great CEO, you must exercise
control over your company by shaping the workplace environment to be one that
has a distinct and palpable culture. In other words, a great leader creates a
sense among his or her employees that they are a part of something truly
special, something bigger and more significant than any one part of the whole.
Your attitude and actions towards your workforce very clearly set the tempo at
every level of the company.
-
Demand the world of your workers, but allow them to make
mistakes. Show them that the company believes in them enough to let them keep
trying until they make it – as long as they are good enough at their jobs to
make it in a big way when they do. Encourage productivity by encouraging
risk-taking and personal judgment calls. You always have the last word if
something is a poor fit for the business.
10.
Be clear-cut
-
As a CEO, it's
your job to run the entire business. Though you delegate many of the daily
tasks to your subordinates, you're the one with the bird's-eye view who can see
the whole pattern of the company as it breathes and changes over time. Bearing
that in mind, use what you see and know to communicate your plans and explain
your decisions to your workers clearly, plainly, and openly. If they know what
your vision for the company is, they'll have a much easier time helping you to
realize that vision.
11.
Stay connected
-
Never succumb to the illusion that the CEO
lives and works in an ivory tower while the rest of the business goes on below,
guided by distant edicts from on high. An effective CEO is always in the thick
of things: visiting every department, assisting with any task he or she is
qualified to assist with, speaking to employees and listening to their
feedback. A part of your time is necessarily spent at the top, planning ahead
and thinking in broad terms, but the rest of your time should be spent in the
thick of the action.
- Feel free to micromanage if you need to show someone the way
you'd prefer them to do something. Don't simply berate them or tell them
what you're doing wrong; instead, clear them out of the driver's seat and do it
yourself, explaining the reasoning of every step and action along the way. A
great CEO leads by example, not insult.
-
12.
Embody strategy
- Above all else,
once you become a CEO, your business is the future of the company. You must be
adept at thinking six moves ahead, seeing around the next corner, and guessing
what the future will hold. Stay abreast of trends and always think about your
company's place in the business world at large. How can you stay king of the
hill? If you're not, how can you knock the other schmoe out of the top spot? If
these are the questions that help guide your business strategy, you'll be the
most effective CEO you can be.