by James Watt

Created on: November 05, 2007

Are top business executives born or bred? If the collective thinking is true, then most executives are simply no greater or less a victim of their own circumstance then any other worker in their organization. They simply have had correct decisions made about their future, and also have made correct decisions throughout their careers. When you pair the trend of decisions leading them to that path with an inherent drive to succeed, is the result a new Chief Executive Officer?

Do these executives follow common strategies to become chief, or are the strategies taught to them? If they are simply making credible decisions and concentrating on the 20% of value adding tasks, as described by Vilfredo Pareto, then anyone should be able to replicate their success. Perhaps, alternatively they have inherent meta-cognitive skills that prioritize the most valuable tasks, and by succeeding at the tasks they prioritize, they succeed as leaders.

Take risk management for example. All would agree, there is a common basic human understanding of risk, I.e. don't touch the hot stove. In most of us, this understanding is based on experience, and also guidance. Do these executives spring forth from the womb and say, "what are the counter-measures for my accidental action of touching this hot stove?" Decidedly no, they do not. So therefore these processes are taught, whether through school, experience, or mentorship. And if these lessons can be taught to one person, they can be taught to many.

And if that is true, can anyone apply these processes, and the drive to succeed, and eventually rise to superstardom. Why are we all not there already?

I believe that the lessons necessary to achieve and succeed go deeper then simply memorizing the scientific method. It is possible that some lessons are learned, though they are not intentionally taught. Perhaps for instance, one is taught that, "a majority of people don't have direction, and therefore it is beneficial to both them any for you to lead them." That lesson seems to be directly correlated to rising to a level of authority higher than average. This type of lesson could be learned every day, from a parent, spouse, or peer when they ask "so, what do you want to do?" A decisive natural response will, in fact, reinforce that the emerging CEOs leadership is accepted.

So there is one leadership strategy that is reinforced and should be found in top executives. What others, I wonder, are out there to be learned?

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