How to Become a Chief Executive
Perhaps your dream is to be one of the top dogs at a top-notch company. That dream can become a reality and you can become a chief executive if you really pour your heart, blood and soul into obtaining that position. It can be a daunting task, both going for the position and once you attain it, but if that’s what you want, roll up your sleeves and begin. A workaholic nature and several tips will help you become a chief executive.
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Instructions
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Work hard. Once you get your foot in the door of your chosen field, do everything you can to show what a work horse you are. This means working overtime without being asked and occasionally without pay, giving up weekends and evenings without flinching, cleaning up after other people’s mistakes and contributing 110 percent of all you’ve got.
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Research your field until you know every aspect of every angle. Just doing your job is not enough to thrust you into that corner office. You need to know everything you can about your chosen field. This means attending all corporate meetings, checking out the competitors and reading up on all the latest trends, advancements and movers and shakers.
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Have bright ideas. Your research may lead you to some innovate ideas you can bring to your company’s table. Since your job is being done, now you can create new tasks for yourself by showing the current top dog how you can contribute even more to making your company stand out above the rest. Perhaps it’s as simple as volunteering to work a booth at a community fair, taking a trip to a seminar or writing articles about your company’s success for consumer magazines.
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Respect everyone. Yes, you should by now be very close with the current folks in charge of your company, but that does not mean you should step on, ignore or be haughty to everyone else. From the president to the janitor, you should show the same courtesy and respect you yourself would like to be shown.
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Network, network, network. It’s not what you know, you’ve heard, but who you know. Make a point of networking with other folks in your field and other top execs in other fields so you are surrounded by those who can help you climb the ladder to the very top.
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Tips & Warnings
Networking will also come in handy if you are for some reason perpetually passed over in your current company. You’ll know enough to move elsewhere if need be.
Dress for success. A common saying is to dress for where you want to go, not where you are. That means even if you are allowed to wear jeans in your cubicle, you may want to don the suit and tie every day to show you mean business.
Act the part. Don’t be a snobby jerk, but do let others know about your knowledge of the field, your desire to move to the top and be the first to volunteer for new projects and things others don’t want to do.
Never squash anyone in your climb to the top. You never know when the person you boss around may one day be your boss.
Go above and beyond at every turn. Other people may have lives. If you want to be a chief executive, your job is your life.
- Photo Credit Illustration by chief executive rat by Ryn Gargulinski
