You don’t like taking orders. You want to be the head honcho, the Grand Poobah, The Commander-in-Chief, the MAN, even if you’re a woman. I get it. You want to be the CEO, not the underling. And you believe your time has finally come. And perhaps you’re right. But if you’re wrong and take on a mantle of leadership that is unwarranted by your skill set, you, and whatever company you attempt to lead is going to be in serious trouble.
Before taking the big chair, consider the example left us by Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They were young, bright, and ambitious. But it didn’t take them too long to realize that they were not CEO material. They brought in a grown up: Eric Schmidt to lead the company until they were able to develop what it takes. Apple’s cofounder, Steve Jobs had to be kicked out of his own company before he developed the right stuff. Are you more ready to lead than these men were when they first took over the reigns? Let’s find out:
Do You Have CEO Education?
Let’s get this out of the way up front: Dropping out of university, or never going in the first place is a lousy start to your CEO ambitions. Don’t bother rattling off the two or three names you know of CEOs who have done just that. They are outliers, exceptions, a very rare breed. And while they formed a company and made the most of their big idea, they couldn’t have gotten a job in the mailroom of someone else’s company. It is easy to start a company. You can do that in less time than it takes to read this article. That does not make you a real CEO.
Even if you are street savvy, what you need is a proper education. Even if you have a bachelor’s degree, that is still not CEO education. You need at leas one graduate degree in something related to running a company. An MBA is a good start. Less than that, and you are just looking for a shortcut. That is not really a good trait in a master of industry.
Barronstestprep.com is one of many places online you can go to get prepared for the kind of education you need for the job you want. Don’t take a job you’re not ready for. And don’t sign up for classes that you can’t handle. Do some test prep. Thorough preparation is definitely a good CEO quality.
Do You have CEO Leadership Skills
A CEO has to have more than a title. A CEO has to be a leader of people, a clear communicator, a visionary, and a motivator. Is that you?
If not, your CEO ambitions are not necessarily out he window. Perhaps you have some of the necessary skills, but not all of them. The good news is that there are outlets for gaining executive training. Even if you think you have all those skills, you might be surprised to discover those skills are not quite enough in a corporate setting. Executive training can make all the difference.
Do You Have a CEO Idea?
A big idea does not necessarily require a corporate structure. Some ideas can be hindered by unnecessary structure. But some ideas can only thrive in the context of corporate, legal, and human complexity.
It was said of the presidency that there are two kinds of people: the kind of person that wants to be somebody, and the kind of person that wants to accomplish something big. This is also true of CEOs. If you just want to be somebody, you can put any title on a business card you like. If you want to actually accomplish something big, you need the right education, the right skills, and the right idea for the times.