What does it take to get to the "Executive" level at a company?

All about who you know and who likes you on the top of the org chart.

Kind of a weird thread but I'll bite. I just applied.

The C-level is having the same hiring crunch as the rest of the job market. It took us over 2 years and 2 executive hiring agencies to find our CFO. I think it is easier to get to some sufficiently respectable level with one company and then apply to an entirely different company. Upward mobility from mid-management to C-level in the same company almost never seems to happen. Probably because the C-level already know all of your flaws.

Start your own company and BOOM, you're a CEO!!!

Who the fk desires these positions, anyway? Not me.

Watch the Jack Lemmon movie "The Apartment". It's 60 years old but the message is the same today for upward mobility in business.

For one, there are very few of those positions.

One path is going to a big name school and getting connections and into the right spots.

Another is rising through a small company to get a title.

Then move to a bigger company with that title.

And then a bigger company.

Working your way up from entry level to executive level in the same company doesn't happen.

dild00w wrote:

Who the fk desires these positions, anyway? Not me.

People who want money and power?

I personally would not want to be in this position. People in these roles are completely detached from those at the associate level and have no insight to their company's culture as much as they preach it in cheesy corporate newsletters (which I end up skimming through for something of substance and just ultimately deleting it).

They look at numbers (their own, and the companies) and make decisions that impact thousands of people without too much thought. I would hate to be in role that by nature is so short-sighted and impulsive.

If you look at Big Tech, I could not name the second or third or fourth in command to Bezos, Zuckerberg, Reed Hastings, Larry Ellison, or Tim Cook. I'm sure they do something, but to me the CEO is ultimate shot caller and the the team beneath them does some of the less glamourous grunt work for a nice check.

When I think about people who make impact at...lets say Nike...I don't look at the C-level folks, I look that the guy/girl who sketched up the concept for the 4% and did the research with the biomechanics team to create it. I have less respect for the C-level guy who said "that's looks good...let's do it."

- Make work your number one priority, everything else takes a back seat

- Top priority is corporate politics, quality of work is important, but not the most important

- In connection to the above, basically operate like a politician, with everything being done specifically to advance in the organization- communication and networking is key

Boston 18 wrote:

- Make work your number one priority, everything else takes a back seat

- Top priority is corporate politics, quality of work is important, but not the most important

- In connection to the above, basically operate like a politician, with everything being done specifically to advance in the organization- communication and networking is key

Yeah this matches what I have seen as well. There is a baseline of competence that is needed but that a lot of people meet, then comes down to who you know. People that make it to the highest levels play the politics - they keep people happy and identify what senior people care about, then find ways to help advance those priorities.

The soft skills also become more important at that point - hard to get there without being a really strong communicator.

dild00w wrote:

Who the fk desires these positions, anyway? Not me.

Most people are conditioned throughout their life to believe that being the boss or attaining C-suite status is akin to crossing over into paradise. Throw in public schooling, gatekeeping, and media portrayals that constantly reinforce this notion and you get legions of 100-120 IQ try hards falling over each other on their desperate ascent up the pyramid. None of them realize there is nothing up there.

dunno if it's just that. At the company I work for (pretty big with revenues last year around $6B, half the executive team were long term employees who always performed well over the years.

Similar take, but another way I have witnessed firsthand is to work your way up to your "ceiling" (we all know when we are there at the company we are currently at) at a reputable company, like Salesforce, then leverage that brand recognition as a mid level employee to become a senior level employee at a mid tier, up and coming company. I watched that happen recently.

I think I have a good perspective on this question. I have accepted a job starting next month as a CFO at a small/medium organization ($30M in annual revenue). I am 36 years old, a CPA, and graduated from a local state college.

I have worked very hard during my career and have always produced good results, that is the main thing that got me this position. But, I have also had opportunities to produce results for the right people that have been influential in my career.

In my case, getting this job was in part because of "who I know". But, I know these people, and they trust me, because of my results.

Start your own company and then you can have all the C level titles you want

Pole greasing and lots of it.

Thankfully I’m in an industry that is usually meritocratic where remuneration is not really bound by your level.

WillBCFO wrote:

I think I have a good perspective on this question. I have accepted a job starting next month as a CFO at a small/medium organization ($30M in annual revenue). I am 36 years old, a CPA, and graduated from a local state college.

I have worked very hard during my career and have always produced good results, that is the main thing that got me this position. But, I have also had opportunities to produce results for the right people that have been influential in my career.

In my case, getting this job was in part because of "who I know". But, I know these people, and they trust me, because of my results.

What is the pay like as CFO for small/medium organization?

My husband made it to the C-Suite. He was the first in his family to graduate college (state school) and had average grades. His home life wasn't great; dad drank himself to death when he was in his early 20s. He did it by working hard, getting results, understanding how to navigate the politics of the organization, and building relationships. The relationship aspect is what I think has gotten him the farthest. He genuinely likes people and once a relationship is established, he is very loyal. He also promotes from within, which means that he's built a team over time that is competent and trustworthy. He is the boss at delegating, so work doesn't completely dominate his life (although it's certainly no 9-5 gig). Finally, there is a lot of "right place, right time" luck involved.

Oh, and we've always been willing to relocate (my job is portable). I've seen a lot of folks tank their careers because they are unwilling to move. And I don't mean to diminish the difficulties of moving when both spouses have careers, but the reality is in corporate life, you make it work or you get stuck.

Just to share how I got into the C-Suite at ~$1.5b enterprise value company before age of 40...

Top 3 undergrad, then

Investment Banking analyst role, then

Private Equity role, then

Top 5 business school for MBA, then

5+ years at top 3 consulting firm consistently ranking in top 10% of consultants, then

3 years working for a Fortune 500 company in a non-executive role

While at the Fortune 500 company, a Partner at the consulting firm that I had worked at recommended me to a CEO who he was working with, CEO and I hit it off, I formally interviewed with CEO, CFO and several Board members, then I got the job. I'm not the CEO or CFO but a named "Chief xxxxx Officer" that reports directly to CEO. I love the job. If you are not the CEO, but in the C-Suite, having an incredible and supportive CEO will make your life a lot better... I'm lucky to have that. Also, I didn't have a ton of experience in the function in which I was hired, which was a bit difficult to overcome from the Board's standpoint (but I obviously did). The CEO loved my background and thought that I could solve the big problems facing the company in the role in which I was hired based on my financial and strategic background.

While I got this role at a relatively young age, I put in many many years of 80+ hour work weeks, traveling all over the world for work, etc. I'd say that a lot of the hard work and connections that I made set me up for "being in the right place at the right time."

Hope this is helpful. YMMV.