Success only comes by persevering despite failure.
Have you ever wondered why Zig Ziglar said, “Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember, the only taste of success some people get is to take a bite out of you.”
The most successful ideas, i.e. inventions, successful businesses, and amazing architectural accomplishment always start with a great vision. First, you realize the vision and then you make it happen. If you want to be a C-level executive you have to act the part first.
Good preparation is crucial before facing any big task. A great leader knows where he currently stands, learns lessons from past actions, and carefully envisions where he wants to be in the future. But none of these foundational ingredients make a great C-Level Executive in and of themselves. It is up to the individual aspiring for greatness to envision, act and speak like the C-Level Executive he/she desires to be.
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The Peter Principle
The Peter Principle is a management concept published in 1969 by Laurence J. Peter. It states that selection for a given position is more a factor of how an employee performs in their current position than whether the employee actually has the required skill set to perform in the higher level position. In his words, “Managers rise to the level of their incompetence”. He noted that an employee’s perceived incompetence for a particular job may be because the required skills are different from what the employee typically does, but not necessarily more difficult. In plain English, it just means that no matter how good you are at your current position, you might not have the ability to execute a different set of skills in a higher position.
Realizing your new position
Taking stock of your potential to attain a C-level position is always key. Doing this forces you to appreciate the responsibility that comes with the position and the corresponding level of mental framing that will help you grow. You have to envision the desired outcome and then be inspired to take the required action towards it. Preparing yourself by accepting responsibilities above your position and growing through them mentally and emotionally will help you to grow in line with your potential. Bring your distinct difference and your vision to the new responsibilities by believing in yourself and making everyone around you feel positive about taking that path with you.
Act your new position
Actions speak louder than words – an old but wise saying, yet there are few that pay attention to the weight these words actually carry.
The effect of group influence state that: how one person behaves in a group sets the tone for the rest. In a group setting, the tone for the whole group is usually set by one individual. That person tends to be viewed as the leader or captain of the ship, and most C-level executives fit this description. They carry themselves with the required confidence and charisma that is enough to influence any group they find themselves in.
“Any kind of group research involves interdependence, where the way one person behaves or sees another is affected by all kinds of factors going on within the group,” says Group Dynamics incoming editor David K. Marcus, PhD.
Additionally, most employees gain day-to-day inspiration from the leadership provided by their superiors. A CEO with a fearless barrier-breaking attitude will (more often than not) inspire their employees to try new ideas and push themselves harder without having to instruct them specifically to do so. The aura emanating from the CEO does the job itself.
If you bring these attributes you are sure to make a great C-level executive.
Speak your new position
Good verbal communication is key to being a good C-level executive. Choosing the appropriate content and mode of speech for your subordinates has the potential to make or break their performance levels. Months of hard work and team building can be destroyed by a few careless words or the wrong attitude. Effective speaking also commands the respect of your C-level peers and helps them buy into your ideas on the job.
You must visualize, act and speak C-level executive. Make these characteristics part of your being.
Your realization of yourself makes u who you are and who you become. If you realize that you have great potential as a Construction CFO you will work at it every day to become a Construction CFO.
Conclusion
“Leadership is learned behavior that becomes unconscious and automatic over time”. Glenn Llopis, Forbes
A leader has seen the field, so to speak, they have walked the road and experienced failure and success, coupled with the people they met along the way they have taking what they learned and grew from strength to strength.
“Successful leaders have learned the mastery of anticipating business patterns, finding opportunities in pressure situations, serving the people they lead and overcoming hardships”. Glenn Llopis, Forbes
A Positive leader with great energy and attitude inspires the winning atmosphere in a work environment. This motivates everyone around them to greater heights and in turn makes them even better leaders.
“…they are likable, respected and strong willed. They don’t allow failures to disrupt momentum”. Glenn Llopis, Forbes
How will your voice be heard through the ages?
Good Examples of envisioning your path and then walking it
Forever 21
The husband and wife co-founders of Forever 21, Do Won Chang and Jin Sook, moved from Korea to California with no money, hardly being able to speak English and with no higher qualifications. They were determined to make it big and tried their hand at three failed business. Working 3 jobs; pumping gas, being a janitor and serving coffee he made ends meet with 19 hour work days. One day Don Won Chang realized that the clothing merchants passing by, all drove the best cars and wore the right clothes. They opened a 900-square-foot clothing store in LA in 1984, called Fashion 21. Today they are on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans.
Oracle
Oracle Founder Larry Ellison, born in the Bronx, dropped out of college after his aunt (who raised him) passed away and moved to California where he did a bunch of crazy jobs. It was during these crazy jobs, that he learned his computer and programming skills.
He ended up working for the company called Ampex, which had a contract with the CIA named “oracle”. In 1977, Ellison and partners; Bob Miner and Ed Oates, founded a new company called Software Development Laboratories. They based Oracle version 2 on Edgar F. Codd’s theories for a relational database. The name of the company was changed 3 times before they settled on Oracle Systems Corp. They are one of the most successful companies to date.
Procurementexpress.com
James Kennedy CEO of Procurementexpress.com and his wife were two entrepreneurs who traveled around the world, working on several startup companies which didn’t pan out. One night they were having dinner in Dublin Ireland and came up with the brilliant idea of starting a voiceover company, over a glass of wine. True to themselves, they made it happen and the successful Piehole voiceovers were born. Both James and wife Priscilla Kennedy moved on to bigger ventures since then though.
Priscilla created Piehole.tv, now a very successful video production company.
Richard Greenane old time friend of James mentioned that 3 of his IT clients had a need that could not be filled by current software solutions. This was exactly what James was waiting for. James and Richard realized the gap in the market and saw the future of Procurementexpress.com. This small startup has grown to be one of the fastest growing startup companies in the world and will be named a million dollar company within half the time it usually takes to reach such a target. Their vision goes beyond what they see, step by step they are reaching the heights they envisioned by doing things a bit differently than the rest.
