Working with a mentor is a good way to develop these skills by consulting with someone who can help you realize what specific aspects of your communication skills need improvement. If you’re still in school, consider taking classes on rhetoric or public speaking as good opportunities to work on developing your communication skills. Trying out for plays or other dramatic performances might also be a good way to fine tune your oral performance chops.
For example, if you want to become the CEO of a multimedia conglomerate, you might find getting a degree in communication or television to be particularly useful. Many CEOs have degrees in fields that aren’t directly related to business, but rather are related to their industry. For example, Larry Page, the CEO of Alphabet, has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in computer science. [4] X Research source
For example, if you want to take over as CEO of a coffee company, a good way to gain relevant experience would be to work in a coffee shop, ideally one that is run by that same company. Consider volunteering or working in jobs that will grant you conflict management or organization experience; examples might include being a camp counselor, a conflict resolution assistant, or a convenience store manager.
Having an MBA is less necessary if your plan is to found your own corporation; there are no education requirements at all for becoming a small business owner. You can typically apply to an MBA program no matter what your bachelor’s degree was in. Although business majors are sometimes stronger applicants, MBA programs accept all types of students.
For most corporations looking to hire on a new CEO, having senior-level management experience is almost always a requirement. Since you likely won’t be able to start out in such a position, work in positions that will give you low-level management experience to build on. For example, if you work in a movie theater, apply to become an assistant manager when a position opens up. From there, aim to graduate to general manager and gain even more management experience.
This is especially the case regarding opportunities to fill management positions. For example, if you’re offered the chance to become the president of your particular division, you should accept the offer even if you don’t feel entirely prepared for the job.
For example, if you work in a sales department, you might consider taking on the task of revamping a failed product or improving your department’s poor performance. This is also a good means of demonstrating to your superiors that you’re ready for greater levels of responsibility, if you want to jumpstart the process of earning a promotion.
Even if you don’t feel ready for taking on a higher position right away, you’ll have the chance to learn how to perform your new job once you’re in it. If you’ve developed the right skills and personality traits for becoming a CEO, you’ll be able to tackle this new responsibility.
For example, if you’re told to launch a new product in your department, take this as an opportunity to carry out a project that you can almost completely control and the success of which will be attributed entirely to you.
For example, if you have an engineering degree, you might apply for a job within a company as an engineer and work your way up to higher and higher positions. Keep in mind that no job is too low of a starting point. Even entry-level custodial positions are potential launching points for a person aiming to become a CEO.
Operational divisions are those that involve the primary practice of a business. For example, in a manufacturing company, those divisions that would fall under operations include design, planning, procurement, and production. Human resources and marketing would not fall under this category. Although it’s possible to become a CEO by rising through a different department, the majority of CEOs were pulled out of operational divisions.
This method also enables you to expand your professional network beyond the confines of a single company, which may help you to become the CEO of a different company in the long run.
Researching these topics ahead of time will help you to avoid potential losses in the marketplace when you actually establish your business. The more you can research how your idea compares to what others are selling, the better you’ll be able to offer a unique product that stands a better chance of succeeding in the long run.
For example, you should write out who your intended customers will largely be, how you plan to market your product or service, and so on. Although you probably can’t plan too much, you should aim to make your business plan at least a page long. Anything less will probably not adequately address critical questions about your business model.
For example, you can go ahead and create a website for your business and begin promoting it on social media before you officially open for business.
For example, unless you have legal training, you’ll probably find you need a lawyer at some point to help with business issues. Likewise, you may need experts to help you with accounting, insurance, and advertising.
You’ll also need to purchase the appropriate business insurance before you begin your actual operations.
