You’ve decided the life of a CEO is what you want, unfortunately, that sort of thing rarely just happens overnight. Here’s Beginners Guide to Becoming a CEO.
Some education…
Take advantage…
Quite a few CEOs have first completed an undergraduate degree, worked for a number of years as an employee, risen through the ranks, and then returned to complete a graduate degree. So don’t feel like you can’t start getting the experience just because you haven’t completed all the studying you want to. Once you have a place in the workforce, take advantage of any and every opportunity your company has to offer, this will help increase your financial knowledge. Seminars, classes, and various other options are often up for grabs.
Don’t hesitate…
Start climbing the ladder before it’s even there, by making connections early. Attend business seminars and networking events as often as possible. Apply to internships anywhere that you can show off your leadership skills and willingness to work hard. Volunteer your time to help with charity and other events that will allow you to meet and greet with other future business people and CEO’s. Don’t hesitate. It’s never too early to start making the right impression on local business and civic leaders. You may just meet someone with the knowledge or influence to slide you right into your first real job putting you on that ladder.
Aim high…
Treat every job like you want to own the whole company. Employees who bring a sense of vitality and seriousness to their jobs are scarce so you will be noticed. Accept extra tasks quickly and happily and also seek them out yourself whenever possible.
A mentor…
Do what you can to associate with high-level executives in your business and wherever else you might meet them, do not jeopardize your reputation or integrity in doing so though. Take note of the way they act and speak, enquire if one may wish to become a mentor for you. The worst that can happen is them saying no.
Stay flexible…
A part of being ambitious and aggressive about advancing your career is being open to taking paths you weren’t expecting to take. Stay open to the idea of switching shifts or locations in order to secure 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.
The CEO’s job is basically to run the company. You’ll be overseeing financial decisions, resolving imbalances, and keeping things on track for increased profitability year in and year out. Essentially a great CEO is a combination of:
- an ideas person,
- willing to take risks and think big,
- they are hands on,
- have a keen eye for detail in matters of money and human resources and
- always willing to dig into the details until everything is perfect.
It’s not going to be easy getting there or even being there, but if it’s what you want, just keep at it and eventually an opportunity will present itself.
