Strategies for Career Development

Executives looking for opportunities to lead at the highest levels often wonder, what do I need to do to reach the C-suite? While reaching the top rungs requires many of the same leadership skills and perspectives as decades prior, organizations today are also searching for seasoned executives who possess a new type of mindset. C-level leadership today must be able to help companies pivot quickly if needed, fend off insurgent competitors, and have an intense customer focus. They must also be willing to self-correct and adapt to new leadership norms. For this reason, many companies are eager for executives who think like entrepreneurs.

Strategies for Career Development is designed to help you better understand what strengths you will bring to the C-suite as well as provide you with a proven framework for finding your own path to the top. Because while you can’t possess every leadership capability, or foresee every shift in the external environment, you can carefully steer your own career and professional development.

The course is taught by Cassandra Frangos, Ed.D., an expert adviser and coach on leadership and organizational transformation and author of Crack the C-Suite Code: How Successful Leaders Make it to the Top and Roberto Fernandez, MIT Sloan Professor of Organizational Studies. Together they will present findings from their latest research and lead discussions on the changing C-suite landscape, navigating bias and breaking through the glass ceiling, and the current trends in executive search. Program content will also include:

• Four core paths you can follow to reach the C-suite: The Tenured Executive, The Free Agent, The Leapfrog Leader, and The Founder
• Guiding questions that clarify the risks and rewards associated with each path
• Accelerators and derailers that either enhance or detract from your chances to succeed
• Advice on how to leverage your experience, leadership brand, networks, social capital, and mindset to advance your career
• The importance of maintaining consistency while managing disruption
• Insight on how the evolving role of the CEO affects your strategy to reach the top
• The role of analytics and predictive analysis to monitor and rank internal candidates
• Valuable takeaways for leaders orchestrating their succession and/or recruiting their next C-level executive