In this article we’ll explore this trend in more detail and explain other findings about skills required in each of seven C-level jobs-CIO, chief marketing and sales officer, CFO, general counsel, chief supply-chain-management officer, chief human resource officer, and CEO. And today members of senior management are expected not only to support the CEO on business strategies but also to offer their own insights and contribute to key decisions. We’re beginning to see C-level executives who have more in common with their executive peers than they do with the people in the functions they run. In other words, the skills that help you climb to the top won’t suffice once you get there.
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Chief information officers need to know how to create business models chief financial officers, how to develop risk management strategies chief human resource officers, how to design a succession plan and a talent structure that will provide a competitive edge. One strikingly consistent finding: Once people reach the C-suite, technical and functional expertise matters less than leadership skills and a strong grasp of business fundamentals. Finally, we corroborated our analysis and gathered additional insights by conducting interviews with executives who were serving or had served in the roles in question. To gather information on future requirements for CIOs, for instance, we convened several members of search firms’ information technology practices to discuss changing business needs (such as balancing innovation with simplified computing utility) in light of new technologies. Second, we asked search consultants in each function to speculate about what the future held for the positions we were surveying.
We focused in particular on the themes in the companies’ job descriptions and how they ranked various competencies from “essential” to “nice to have.” We charted the data first on a timeline (from 10 years ago to the present), then by sector, and finally by geography. To identify the critical traits of senior executives past, present, and future, we combined data analysis with studies of job descriptions created by knowledge management experts.įirst, we examined executive summaries describing why companies were recruiting for example, for the position of chief information officer, we read more than 100 profiles prepared for firms that were conducting searches. Nevertheless, in examining hundreds of executive profiles developed over the past decade or so by the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles and interviewing numerous top managers about the requirements for senior leaders past, present, and future, we have seen some clear signals about how C-level jobs are evolving. And though we can definitively identify the skills that companies seek now, pinpointing those that will be useful in the future is unavoidably speculative. The trends vary by function, geography, and industry-and, of course, by company. So when it comes to managing your own career, how do you prepare yourself to move up? What abilities should young would-be executives focus on developing as they choose companies, functions, and jobs? And what skills should working executives hone as they strive to reach the next level? We know that different times and different circumstances call for different leadership skills. The Staircase, 2005, metal structure, wood, vinyl tiles, 14.75′ x 11.5′ It offers a road map for ambitious managers who want to know which skills they should focus on developing in order to rise up the chain of command. This article explores those developments in more detail and explains other findings about the latest requirements in each of seven C-level jobs: CIO, chief marketing and sales officer, CFO, general counsel, chief supply-chain management officer, chief human resources officer, and CEO. You need a global mind-set and will be expected to offer your CEO deep insights on key business decisions. To thrive at the C-level, you must be a strong communicator, a collaborator, and a strategic thinker. Members of senior management now have more in common with their peers than with the people they manage. One strikingly consistent finding is that today technical and functional expertise matters less at the top than business acumen and “soft” leadership skills do. Exactly what abilities do firms want in their leaders-now and in the future? By examining hundreds of job profiles developed by executive-search firm Heidrick & Struggles and interviewing numerous senior managers, the authors have identified some clear trends.
Companies have come to expect much more from their C-level executives, who need new and different skills to deal with today’s business realities.
Job requirements at the top of corporations have changed.
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