Craftsmanship

In her book,  CEO Material, Debbie Benton identifies 16 areas on which you should work if you want to be regarded as CEO material. The first of these is Craftsmanship, which is a concept not generally used with reference to managers. A craftsmen is more often a skilled manual worker, who gains the ‘craftsman’ title by being especially skilled at his/her job. The author identifies four areas of managerial skill in which you should make yourself extremely competent. Let’s check them out.

Having a good track record

I don’t think too many people would disagree with this one. Success breed success in the climb to the top of the managerial ladder. But this is not so straightforward as it might appear. It is possible to be seen as ‘skilled’ if you avoid any serious stuff-ups as a junior manager. But Ms Benton, in common with many writers on management, suggests that the way to get noticed is to do something, rather than not doing something. In other words, toeing the party line and playing ultra-cautious is actually not the way to get noticed – to be seen as having a good track record. On the contrary, doing things successfully is what gets you noticed.

Taking on a generalist not a specialist role

It is not insignificant that the big boss is called the ‘General’ Manager (GM for short). If you get too high in your specialist field you may be highly valuable to the company, but too valuable in that role to be CEO material. Think of wearing a pair of glasses. If you can see  the company only through your accounting – or manufacturing or HR – glasses, then your capacity to make the broader decisions required of a GM is somewhat restricted.

In a large company there may be things like job rotation, so you can get experience in another function, or even become CEO of a small company subsidiary. Don’t let HR push you around however. You are responsible for your own development. So you must recommend to HR where you want to go, and if they won’t let you go there, look for another job (or read the next paragraph!). But avoid being regarded as the company specialist in something, or that is where you will stay.

Constantly seeking information

This element builds on the last one. If you are in a big company, but you cannot persuade HR to move you where you want to go, then at least you can read about something new, or attend courses on it in your own time. Get information about other functions, because you need to be a generalist. And if you do something in your own time – because your company is too mean to give you time to learn – make sure that your boss knows about it.

Get involved with people in the organization in this new specialty and let them know that you understand what they are talking about. If there is a promotion coming up into this specialty, and  the senior managers in it know you know what you are talking about, it may be these managers, rather than your own who recommend you for the position.

Having a fire in your belly

This is not as painful as it sounds!

You need to be keen, and to be seen to be keen. Promotions do not come to wallflowers – or at least we hope they don’t! Set off to work each morning with the intention of doing something different and significant, not just to do the daily grind. Humdrum is not a word you should have in your vocabulary if the CEO office is your target.

Stand by for the next posting

Bob