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

corporate jake wrote:

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

I agree. Also called sucking up, kissing rear...you get the idea. ;-)

Let me tell you a true story...

This entry level dude (let's call him Mr. Brownnoser) literally started golfing and brown-nosing the VP of his department, asking to meet up for lunch, even buying concert tickets for the both of them and doing double dates. When it comes to tournament-style promotions for new management roles, guess who the hiring committee is choosing?

You guessed it, Mr. Brownnoser.

Then the company gets bought out. Who gets the axe when it comes to trimming the fat? Mr. Brownnoser does because he and his department sucked. However, Mr. Brownnoser kissed the butt of the CTO of the company (she also got the axe) and when she gets a new job as a CTO at another company, guess who comes along as the new CIO?

You guessed it, Mr. Brownnoser...the guy who could never cut it coming in cold to another company on his own and needs the help of connections so that he can live out his executive fantasies and live in his $800K house.

Whenever I think of promotions, I just think about this guy who was not all that great at his job, but really effective at kissing a** and grabbing golden parachutes better than Jerry Rice could catch footballs.

I’ve worked at companies of every size from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies There are a lot of smart, talented people working in corporations in markets like SF and NYC. Most of them just plateau in their careers at some mid-level position and become SMEs. The ones that are able to break through usually work really hard at playing the game. Here are some tips:

It’s all about building your brand within the company and getting people to notice you.

Identify your career goal within the company and develop a plan.

Look for opportunities to work on projects or serve on teams that are highly visible. Make sure people are aware of your contributions (without being obvious or obnoxious).

Identify influencers that can serve as advocates or mentors.

Learn to think strategically and see the “big picture” beyond just your own job duties or function.

Become a persuasive and effective communicator. You need to be very comfortable expressing your ideas in front of people. Look for opportunities to do presentations. Communication skills are really key.

Look for opportunities to socialize with influencers outside of the normal daily work interactions.

I need to be a VP! wrote:

Let me tell you a true story...

You guessed it, Mr. Brownnoser...the guy who could never cut it coming in cold to another company on his own and needs the help of connections so that he can live out his executive fantasies and live in his $800K house.

Whenever I think of promotions, I just think about this guy who was not all that great at his job, but really effective at kissing a** and grabbing golden parachutes better than Jerry Rice could catch footballs.

what boring part of the world does Mr. Brownnoser live that he has a luxury house for 800k?

enjoy your apartment on the west coast for that much. moderate town home if you're lucky.

Sounds not worth it.

I agree that communication is key. You also have to have the ability to lead.

1) Nepotism is a common way to make it, for better or worse

2) Kissing a$$ can work, but you have to be really good and still somewhat skilled.

3) In most cases it is knowing the right people and working really hard in the trenches as you move your way up.

At the end of the day, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. I’ve been there, and now I’m VP at a larger company. The C Suite puts in longer hours than 99% of the employees. Sure, it’s less tedious but it is often more stressful. The pay can certainly make up for that stress level though.

ClonedDuck wrote:

what boring part of the world does Mr. Brownnoser live that he has a luxury house for 800k?

enjoy your apartment on the west coast for that much. moderate town home if you're lucky.

Sounds not worth it.

My guess? Probably Iowa. Big fish small pond syndrome.

Most of our senior execs were lateral hires, usually coming from peer companies or long-term consulting backgrounds (20+ years at MBB). Often they've been acquaintances or had business relationships with others in the C-suite. They have ridiculous compensation packages, but honestly I think it's the middle management layer (which I'm in, depending on exact level and function it would be 200k-1m comp which isn't bad but it's a fraction of what the execs get) that drives most of the business value. We understand how the company actually functions and tend to be more analytical than senior management (I interface with a couple of them directly). We have had a few internal promotions to the level below C-suite, and while I'd say it's a relative meritocracy to get to middle management, it is not for getting to the exec level.

So a mistake a lot technologist make is to think that its all about knowledge and proficiency- it isn't its more accurate to say you need to know your stuff but you also have to be relentlessly aggressive and make promotion your number 1 goal. It also helps to be politically savvy and a bit ruthless helps also. After all there is always competition. You also need to think about what department division product is going to be a winner and associate yourself with that- it doesn't matter how great you are if you are associated with a product that loses money.

To get ahead requires to take some risks - so if you aren't getting ahead in your current job you need to find another that will prep you for the next promotion

You need to cultivate people who can help you out. Above all remember that non of this is about fairness who what you deserve

You have to be okay with being a yes man and a little b*tch

I'm a CIO at a 500 million company. Not small but not Fortune 1000 either. There are most definitely many examples of nepotism and the Peter Principal at play but they are the exception, not the rule.

I will tell you the most important factor is work ethic and scope of thought. You don't get to CIO concentrating only on technology just like you don't get to CFO concentrating only on financials. At this level you concentrate on the corporate level strategy and aligning your functional department's tactics around that strategy.

I spend very little time thinking about the functional technology we use on a daily basis and a lot of time thinking about aligning technology with our strategic roadmap.

Once you get to this level you can tell very quickly who will rise up the ranks and who will get to a level of comfort and stay there. The way they think about and the way they solve problems will be a big factor. Do they just try to get (whatever) working or to hit a specific target or do they look at the process around it and try to improve the whole?

If you need a once sentence shortcut listen to the questions they ask. If they ask why more than how it is a good indicator they have the mentality to ride up a company.

DwideSchrude wrote:

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.

"Like Salesforce" lol - killed me

yes man wrote:

You have to be okay with being a yes man and a little b*tch

not like you who is your own man. -grunts-. you read distance running blogs, get over yourself.

My sibling is the CEO of a 500+ person company. High school valedictorian (and top athlete), economics degree at flagship state school (luckily one of the top 2 in the US happened to be in our state), consultant at elite firm (top "bucket" ranking), venture capital (elite firm), went to unicorn startup & worked his way to the top. Company is still in business despite Covid, so I figure he's doing OK in his job.

Is he a brown-noser? I don't work with him, so I don't know. I doubt it. But I know he works 365 days a year, is highly competent, 1% intelligence, but more importantly, 0.1% social skills. I may be biased, but I think I'm just as smart, maybe smarter, and worked pretty damn hard earlier in my career, but my social skills are average.

He's under 40 and has the top job. Eventually getting to one of the supporting jobs at that size of company is easier, I'd say. In case you're wondering, the money is seven figures annually. But I wouldn't switch places because I am not interested in working 365 days a year, nor am I interested in that level of stress, and my family lives very comfortably on our lower salary.

Lots of jealousy in some of these posts. From experience :

1) you need some luck to show your talent to the right people at the right time

2) you can force 'luck' when you select carefully whom your working for in previous jobs.

3) always think in the company's interest, not from your personal viewpoint or limit yourself to your current job. I've seen many 'small bosses' over the years who defend their own job or team but can't see the bigger picture of the company (lots of previous comments in this thread also demonstrate this behavior).

4) people call it politics and think it's a bad thing, but it's a crucial thing : making others work with you without a hierarchical relationship and build trust-relationships at large scale is essential. Understanding feelings/ambitions and needs of other persons in the room is crucial to get maximum value.

So change your last name to Ford?

okaycheif wrote:

yes man wrote:

You have to be okay with being a yes man and a little b*tch

not like you who is your own man. -grunts-. you read distance running blogs, get over yourself.

What’s wrong with reading distance running blogs?

And yes I am my own man. Started my own landscaping company and own rental properties. The incompetence of execs lead me to leave the corporate world. Blows my mind how many people in executive roles think they’ve accomplished something when really the company would be exactly where it is without them and they just got promoted because they have good interpersonal skills. F that.

Lots of different kinds of people can float to the top, some for very good reasons, others not so much. Not everyone WANTS to be in the C suite. I know I don't. I'm happy being a technical "expert" in my narrow field of expertise working on interesting stuff for good (but not world beating) pay.

Some people are good at leading organizations, and some people want to lead organizations. When those two things align, you get very good senior executives.

In my experience, the best senior executives, the ones I had most time for, were smart (above average anyway), experienced / knowledgeable in the work, hard workers (almost always working much longer hours than 99% of employees), but, most importantly, have excellent interpersonal communication skills. That last part counts for > 90% of the effectiveness of senior executives. IMHO anyway.

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

I’ll agree that the above will get you to a high post. Add in consistent 60-80 hour weeks, outstanding interpersonal skills, and some pedigree (brand name schools... doesn’t have to be top 5, previous work for top tier companies, etc) and you will get there.

yes man wrote:

What’s wrong with reading distance running blogs?

And yes I am my own man. Started my own landscaping company and own rental properties. The incompetence of execs lead me to leave the corporate world. Blows my mind how many people in executive roles think they’ve accomplished something when really the company would be exactly where it is without them and they just got promoted because they have good interpersonal skills. F that.

I recently visited my parents on the South Carolina coast at their time share. Lots of money on that coast. I asked my dad who lives in these spectacular homes and he told me that they were business owners and professional athletes....not doctors nor CEOs or Executives of small to mid-sized companies.

The real money is when you OWN the company. Not work for it. You also made the gamble to do things on your own which is respectable.

CIO, CTO, CEO...none of these job titles impress me if you work for small company I've never even heard of. You had no competition to get that job. There are execs in the Heartland working at insurance companies acting like they some influential leaders or the next Jeff f-ing Bezos. GTFO.

Like another poster said, I'd rather be a small fish in a big pond working for very "reputable" or "notable" company building something that matters and having a nice life balance to spend time with family, run, and engage in my hobbies.

I feel this is better than being at some mid-to-low level company and working your butt off in a bigger role for almost the same compensation working on something nobody cares about.

Manager at Apple > CTO at No-Name Company