Play to Your Strengths

Image of a checklistWhen a troubled manufacturing company needed an expert numbers person as CEO, the board of directors conducted a national search for an experienced chief financial officer with the ability to run the entire organization. When a U.S. sales company decided to open its first overseas affiliate, the CEO selected a sales manager from one of its largest domestic offices to run the new operation. And before a major children’s hospital made a strategic investment in patient-oriented technology, it created a new C-level position and promoted the IT department manager to chief information officer.

In all these cases, having a core set of professional skills enabled each of the three executives to build a solid case for themselves and take the next step upward in their career paths. That’s a sound strategy for all senior executives.

While senior executives need to develop a well-rounded understanding of the various disciplines—finance, marketing, technology and operations, for instance—it makes sense to play to your strengths when aiming for the C-suite. Highlighting your key credentials, experience and accomplishments will give you a clear focus for your conversations during the screening and interview process. It also makes it easy for the recruiter (or the CEO or board of directors) to decide if you will be a good match for the position.

Once you have established your core competency, this strategy allows you to emphasize your other skills in a way that may give you an edge on the competition. Think about the advantages of being known as “an experienced CFO who really understands technology,” or a “great sales manager who also knows every step in our product’s supply chain.” Remember that organizations are most likely to hire executives who can add value, and you want to be on that “short list” of attractive candidates.

Of course, a successful candidate for CEO or a senior position will need to be able to demonstrate soft skills in areas like leadership, communications and collaboration. But playing to your core strengths is one of the best strategies for moving up the ladder and taking a new role in the company’s C-suite.

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