Reporting to the CEO isn’t as big a flex as one might think. Let me explain.
One mistake professionals make when climbing the corporate ladder is placing too much stock in their reporting line, sometimes to the detriment of their career growth, says Jane Edison Stevenson, Korn Ferry’s global vice chair, board and CEO services, who consults for Fortune 500 companies.
She recounts an experience advising a promising 35-year-old female leader who reported to the CEO of a large corporation. The woman had held prominent roles in finance, marketing, and communications early in her career. She was offered a P&L position, typically a requirement to reach the corner office, but was hesitant to take it because she would no longer report to the chief executive.
“My advice to her was, ‘Who cares?’” Stevenson recalls. “She already had a lot of relationships that gave her influence in the organization, so my question was, ‘If you’re not reporting to the CEO, will you no longer have any influence? And will people no longer have any interest in what you have to say?’ Her answer was, ‘I think they will.’”
This way of thinking is a stumbling block Stevenson sees often. Many aspiring executives mistakenly view their rise to the C-suite as a linear upward trajectory and, as a result, are too focused on reporting lines and labels. “That’s not the way it works,” she says. What companies want from future C-suite executives is a willingness to move both vertically and horizontally. They want leaders who are curious about how the company operates as a whole and who pursue roles in different areas of the business to bolster their skill set.
Stevenson says professionals should think less about personal ambition and more about developing the expertise and capabilities that will enable them to become effective leaders and enhance the business’s future success. “This creates a mindset of ownership, which is very different from just achieving a label,” she says.
Stevenson adds that relentless skills-building raises people’s profiles far more than their level of seniority or their direct boss. “As you build new capabilities, people become aware of you and are willing to provide sponsorship and mention your name in rooms when you’re not there.”
As for the 35-year-old woman Stevenson advised many years ago? She went on to become a chief transformation officer and is now a CEO. “And she’s loving it,” says Stevenson.
The takeaway: Forget labels and hierarchy. Prioritize building skills horizontally, obtaining P&L operating experience early, and creating allies.
Ruth Umoh
ruth.umoh@fortune.com
@ruthumohnews
Leadership lessons
As Korn Ferry’s global leader for CEO succession, Stevenson leads a team of over 150 partners across search, assessment, and development. These are the in-demand skills she says future leaders should embody:
—Be smart, but not so smart that you’re a know-it-all and lack curiosity
—Be empathetic, understanding, and able to relate to people
—Have self-awareness and situational awareness. Read the room
—Be discerning and able to demonstrate good judgment
—Be an agile operator who also possesses social and mental agility
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Let’s chat. I’m opening my calendar to set up meetings with PR heads at Fortune 500 companies. Shoot me a line to schedule a meeting: ruth.umoh@fortune.com
