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D. A. (Debra) Benton is a bestselling author,speaker, and executive coach in high demand.Her client list reads like a “Who’s Who” ofsuccess stories, from Campbell’s Soup and DellComputer to McDonald’s and Time Warner.She has been featured in Time, BusinessWeek,Fortune, and The New York Times and hasappeared on Today, Good Morning America, andCNN. Her bestselling books include ExecutiveCharisma and How to Act Like a CEO.Visit D. A. Benton at debrabenton.com.

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When you’re CEO material, everyone knows it.But it has to start with you.

“Debra is the leadership Peter Drucker of the 21st Century.”
—John Bianchi, CEO, Frontier Gunleather

“CEO Material is a practical, engaging, and people savvyinstruction manual on how to dial up your leadership effectivenessand enhance your career.”
—Jim Goldman, CEO and president, Godiva Chocolatier

“Whether you are already part way up the organizational ladder orjust on the first rung, if you only have time to read one book this year …this one is a must!”
—Gordon Peters, founding chairman, CEO, The Institute for Management Studies

“A great book for pausing, taking stock and asking: Am I developing all thequalities of character that will allow me to lead and achieve great things?”
—Rick O’Donnell, CEO and president,Acton Foundation for Entrepreneurial Excellence

“One effective way to learn how to become a CEO is to spend years learningfrom the best. But, if you don’t have that much time,you can simply read CEO Material.”
—Rulon F. Stacey, Ph.D., president and CEO, Poudre Valley Health System,and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winner

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CEO MATERIAL

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Contents

Chapter One

* Generate work for yourself.

* Work innovatively and imaginatively.

* Develop people relationships

It is an obvious requirement to produce the right results—that add value to the organization—on time, under budget, and without a "hassle" factor. This is necessary but not sufficient to having a track record that receives raves in talent planning meetings.

You also have to enable, help, and guide other people (whether part of your own team or not) to achieve similar results. Your track record is not just about you and your business potency: It's the specialty you excel in, what you take on beyond what others do, and the connections you initiate with people outside your immediate circle in the way of contacts, mentors, and sponsors.

Focus on the things you can control, and at the end of the day, the only thing you can control is your performance.

When I babysat as a teen, my parents taught me to do the dishes, laundry, and clean the house too. I was the most sought out and heavily tipped babysitter in town.

Executive search professionals from Korn/Ferry, Spencer Stuart, and Russell Reynolds unanimously say, "The best predictor of the future is the past." So it's a requisite to have a history of triumphal outcomes to be seen as a potential potentate.

Do good work preferably in revenue-driving functions such as sales, marketing, operations, and finance (where most corporate leaders come from; few come from human resources, so don't have that as your only expertise). Over time, get experience in human resources, though, as well as turnaround, startup, joint-venture, or venture-capital exposure as fits your company.

Whether you are an engineer, an accountant, a salesperson, a computer guru, or a marketing wizard—it's all fine as long as you continually get progressively challenging assignments and demonstrate competency and an ability to oversee, stimulate, and nurture people.

When you are "chief," you will be judged on your ability to positively affect the stock price, find growth opportunities, provide shareholder profitability, increase sales, provide return on investment, increase market share, and improve employees. Whatever you can do today in whatever job you have to make some impact on any of these areas demonstrates "the past that will predict your future."

The white space between candidates is very small, particularly the higher up you go. You need to be really good at something important that adds value to the company—in the eyes of your boss, your colleagues, and your subordinates. All your stakeholders need to say, "He's good at his job"—you saying and thinking it is irrelevant.

Become intimate with the work that is needed now in your company and industry, as well as what will be needed in the future from a 360-degree perspective. Get into those types of jobs early on, and stay in!

Find out what the top bosses' biggest goals, objectives, and/or pet projects are. Help them to achieve the results they want. Few bosses will ignore or dismiss someone who is working on a favorite project. Get off projects the big bosses don't like (unless you are 200 percent certain the boss is wrong).

In whatever work you do, provide structure, be a technical heavy-weight, possess unquestioned functional skills, work hard, see the big picture, create new systems or processes, step back and see how things could be done better and more cost-effectively, have global smarts, show improvement every year in how you save money and provide growth opportunities, handle the balance sheets, and earn good returns on capital employed.

* If you're in sales, sell more to more people, spending fewer expenses and earning more profit.

* If you're in finance, save your company money and increase revenues and worth.

* If you're in research and development, invent a solution to a problem.

* If you're in information technology (IT), make information more accessible and usable, and do so faster.

* If you're in marketing, creatively and resourcefully get more positive exposure and support sales.

* If you're in human resources, resolve issues, get processes in place, and communicate among all levels more efficiently and effectively.

* If you're in engineering, learn to sell your ideas and get consensus from individuals to get understanding and support before you get in front of the group.

Unfortunately, track record derailers and disqualifiers are many. For example:

* You have technical brilliance, but you are not perceived as an executor.

* You have good ideas, but you don't develop and implement them.

* You are administratively challenged, meaning that things sit longer on your desk than they should; you micromanage too much.

* You don't do enough detail analysis (not nitpicking but detail).

* You need more focus in general.

* You bring more questions than you do answers.

* You miss deadlines and fail to deliver results or deliver the wrong results.

* You grab credit for yourself.

* You don't listen to others' points of view or are arrogant.

* You can't make a decision.

* You partake in stupid office politics.

* And you ignore the advice laid out in this book.

What Does Being Good at Your Job Mean? What Does It Look Like?

If you choose to be good at your job (because it is your choice), you

* Are successful in one of the big areas.

* Think and operate at levels above those expected.

* View the playing field of corporate interests at 100,000 feet.

* Are a strong, inclusive team player.

* Eliminate waste and add value.

* Have a comfort zone interacting at all levels and with all types.

* Are extraordinarily responsive.

* Maintain a positive, energetic, and enthusiastic attitude.

* Have the ability to cut through complex issues; you are good at synthesizing things.

* Bring a new and different perspective; you help people to think differently.

* Do what you say you'll do with high integrity; you're able and trustworthy.

* Present yourself extraordinarily well; you have excellent communication skills.

* Are extremely knowledgeable; you have a global perspective.

* Are outstanding in coaching and feedback; you guide people along.

* Will take a stand but not run over others; you aren't afraid to tackle change in tough issues.

* Ask lots of questions to cause people to think.

* Can envision what will work in the marketplace.

* Think and focus strategically; you minimize minutiae.

* Get the right things done—on time and within budget.

* Don't say one thing to someone's face and another behind the person's back.

Generate Work for Yourself

In addition to all the preceding, willingly take on harder work than assigned. Look around; see the needs of the business, the department, or the function you're in; and find a gap and fill it. Don't wait to be handed a new assignment. Volunteer for additional duties. Have a self-starter and problem-solver mentality. A favorite thing bosses like to hear is, "I want more work" (along with "We successfully completed that").

If you need to be managed like a new hire and wait until someone brings you a task, you won't be viewed as a high-potential go-getter.

Learn other people's jobs in other...