Earning A Seat In The C-Suite

Working Your Way Into the C-suite

You're familiar with the C-Suite aren't you?  The executive suite, probably on the top floor of your office building.  Where the Cs work - CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, etc.  Most business professionals, even if they don't aspire to be one of them, want their attention, recognition, consideration at some point in their careers.  After all these are the folks who promote advancement, support ideas, and okay new initiatives.    In order to get into the C-suite, you should start by thinking, talking and behaving like them.  A few easy to employ strategies are:

• Ask them to attend your meetings. Ask a C-suite member to guest speak at a team meeting or provide opening remarks for a training events  Instead of  starting a meeting with a video, recap, or icebreaker, have a top leader address the group.  This is an opportunity for you to engage them and talk about these next two strategies.

• Attend C-suite meetings.  Learning their language, concerns, and headaches is a way to figure out how you can help them. There's no better way to get some one's attention than to develop solutions to their problems.  Send an email or talk to an administrative assistant about sitting in on a meeting.  You're not asking to get on the agenda, just learn from them and have a better idea of what's going on with top leaders.  Let us help you script out this conversation.

• Read books. Don't just read about your industry, role or company.  Read business books that they are reading.  If you don't know what they are reading ask them.  The next time you are next to a C-suite exec in the elevator or hallway, ask him or her what they are currently reading, to name their favorite book or to make a reading recommendation.  They will likely be impressed that you are interested in their opinion and trying to gain knowledge.  Let us recommend some.

An old southern adage says 'closed mouths don't get fed.'  A chick is hungry; he chirps.  A baby wants his bottle, he cries.  If you want something you'll have to vocalize it.  That's where you start.  

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