I have high ambitions and would like to make it to a C-suite job someday — maybe even CEO. Any general career advice for getting there?
Besides developing Kevlar skin and core — because the pressures, challenges and spotlight intensify the higher you go — the key ingredients for advancing to the executive ranks aren’t very different from what I’d recommend for general long-term success at any level. Understanding the business as a general manager — demonstrating you can think and act strategically with sound financial acumen — is critical for long-term career success. Besides those traditional “hard skills,” the importance of demonstrating leadership qualities that enhance your ability to develop great relationships and influence and inspire people can’t be overstated. And one doesn’t have to be a big personality to do so: Understanding human psychology and what motivates people — being respectful, acting with integrity and making good decisions — works as well in business as in life. Oh, and be well-groomed: We like our leaders to look the part, too.
Summer is fast approaching, which means casual Fridays at my firm. Some women on my staff take “casual” a little too far. As a male boss, I’m afraid to say something that could be interpreted as inappropriate. What’s a manager to do?
You could start by casually placing fashion magazines in their cubes. Instead of dropping hints that could be interpreted as a come on — and assuming you aren’t leering and make people feel like they want to shower after an interaction with you — a simple, professional, straightforward conversation about appropriate office attire without referencing what they are wearing or why it’s inappropriate is a safe route. Or, if a female in an management position can have that conversation, that’s another option. Just make sure when you address the matter, you aren’t the offender yourself — i.e., wearing Hawaiian shirts or loafers sans socks.