1.
Get educated. If you want to be a CEO, you need
to perform well in school. Ideally, you should complete both an undergraduate
and a graduate degree. Focus your studies in an area that will be relevant to
the industry you hope to enter, but keep things general enough that you can be
flexible if you don't snag your dream job right out of college. 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. You don't need to put off joining the workforce just because you don't
have all the education you want yet. 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 finances. 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 flexible. 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. Don't
be afraid to get entrepreneurial. CEOs and entrepreneurs share many traits, and
a person planning to become one can get a great start by becoming the other. If
you see an opportunity to go into business for yourself, and it seems like a
better path to the executive level than your current one, don't hesitate to
make the change. Cultivating a successful company from the ground up is an
impressive distinction on any corporate resume.
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.
J
[PART 2 OF 2 : BEING A GREAT CEO
1. 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 to run
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.
2. Rely
on experience. Most CEOs attain their position after many years – sometimes
decades – in the same industry, or even at the same company. Once 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
