Attain responsibility to earn your way to executive status

Have you ever thought of yourself as an executive in the world of business? Many of you probably believe that you don’t have what it takes. You’ve seen too many movies and although you were entertained by it and probably even imagined yourself in a powerful executive position, you cast severe doubt whether you could hack it.

Little do you know however, that many of the people on executive boards are just like you or were once like you. They too thought they wouldn’t have the mental fortitude to undertake tough decisions or that they wouldn’t be able to understand the complexities of issues that are affecting the consumer. One of the best ways you can shake this off is by firstly learning or observing what’s around you.

What are people concerned about, what are the pressures they are facing and what would be the most plausible solution that could be implemented on a mass scale? At the heart of every board meeting, these are the questions that remain the most thought-provoking. Getting to the position to answer them, is the challenge you must first face.

Ask to be guided

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy in the professional world. Maybe it’s ego or maybe it’s shyness, but we never ask for the things that we actually want. Believe it or not, your boss will respect you more if you are open about your ambitions than not.

Not showing any vision or ambition of what you want to achieve in the future makes you another dull drone. Someone who might sound cocky or egotistical to one person, sounds passionate and drive to another. If you want to climb up the ladder in your profession, but know you lack the skills or the experience, you need to take the first brave step towards your goals.

That first step could be asking for someone higher up to guide you. Have a talk with them about your ambitions and your willingness to take on more responsibility if it means being boosted up the ladder of achievement. Having the attitude of honest self-reflection and the eagerness to learn and improve oneself, is highly desired by corporations.

They want someone with guts and self-belief to rise up the ranks and assume a position where they are in charge of a team or a project. Don’t forget work is generational, so they want someone like you to carry on what they started or were a part of. Don’t be shy or consider yourself cocky, if you believe you are ready for more responsibility go ahead and ask for it.

Go where opportunity is

It’s a damn shame how many people think that they must do things in a linear fashion to get to where they want to go. However as long as you’re in some kind of role that shares or demands the qualities of your dream position, then you’re on the right path. Cythina Telles’ Don’t Deny column is about how you can work in different organizations to eventually get to where you want to go or in fact, end up where you totally didn’t expect but love the work you do now.

She worked for different charitable organizations, listening to local concerns and what could be done to improve the situation of local people’s lives. She was recognized for her efforts by many people and her skill in understanding what’s going on at ground level propelled her to the top level. Now serving as an executive board member on a community benefit committee as well as for audit and compliance committees.

She works in the healthcare organization which sought after her to expand their quality of care to many different local communities. As you can see her early work with local communities allowed her to be seen as someone with knowledge on relevant subjects to a health care company. She now can voice her opinions much more effectively and help to mold services. Rather than take the linear route to a top position, she followed her passion and was later able to use her skills and knowledge to foist herself up the corporate ladder. Don’t chase the apple, let the apple come to you is the moral of the story.

Attaining responsibility can come through guidance and the leadership of another. Someone higher up than you, might be willing to take you under their wing if you should drive and resolve to want it. The first step is, to be honest and ask for that position. You can’t get what you don’t ask for as the saying goes. Don’t worry too much about playing follow the leader when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder. Be aware that there are different routes you can take, but first follow your passion honestly.