The Skills You Need to Transition from Project Manager to CEO
If you’re a project manager who aspires to be a CEO, you might be surprised to learn that your skills, while highly valuable, don’t directly align with those needed for the top position. Here are the attributes you need to develop to get there.
Forward-thinking mindset. To transition to a CEO perspective, actively participate in strategic planning sessions, contribute to defining the organization’s future direction, and align your projects with these strategic objectives. Stay informed about industry trends and emerging technologies that can shape the future of your business.
Calculated risk taking. To develop a CEO’s comfort with calculated risks, take on projects where you need to assess and mitigate risks strategically. Gradually expand your risk tolerance and learn from the outcomes of your risk-management decisions.
Optimism. Practice mentoring and motivating your team members, emphasizing chances for learning and growth. Focus on opportunities rather than obstacles, and develop a collective resilience to inevitable setbacks.
Resilience. Seek critical feedback — and respond to it with gratitude, composure, and a growth mindset. And practice approaching stress with a measured composure.
Empathy. Engage in active listening during project meetings and cultivate an understanding of team dynamics and diverse perspectives.
Inclusiveness and trust. Solicit input from team members with varied perspectives and backgrounds, and build trust by consistently delivering on commitments and being transparent in your communication.
Read the full article: “The Leap from Project Manager to CEO Is Hard — But Not Impossible,” by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
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MBA | Gerente Regional | Dirección | Project Manager| Liderazgo | Trabajo en Equipo| Gestión de equipos| Pensamiento Crítico| Generador de Ideas| Adaptación al cambio| Speaker| Problem solving| I’m looking for challenges
11moThanks Harvard Business Review for this information, for me is very important to get pasion and learn everyday.
Manager, Caterer & Business Owner
1yZikri Zuhairi check this out
Finance IT System Owner & Tools - Cybersecurity Project and Program Manager, and Security Architect. M.S. in Information Systems, CISSP, CASP+, PMP, RMP, ACP, CSM, Security +, CySA+, Pentest +, Green Belt, MS AI-102
1yIt's what I am hoping to achieve, or at least CIO. My workload is changing to some degree to give me greater exposure to more higher-level management. Option B is to start my own company: cybersecurity consulting firm or brewery and go from there.
As someone who's been in project management more than 20 years, I think the first skill, Forward-thinking Mindset can be the most difficult for many to acknowledge as skill PM's should grow (CEO aspirations or not). Very often, we are told to stay in our lane when we offer advice or ideas based on what we know about the teams we work with because we're not considered "strategic leaders". I'd encourage senior leaders to include their PM resources in more strategic conversations as we can often bring a well-rounded point of view based on countless conversations. And I'd encourage PMs to ask questions with that strategic lens, and provide those well thought out insights when the opportunities present themselves!
Educate my clients where they have clear opportunities for financial improvement based on their shared goals.
1yThere are many great qualities identified, but developing a Forward-thinking mindset is a game changer. To develop the ability to look over the horizon in strategic planning sessions & see what could or will be due to your intentional efforts. Yes, stay informed about your industry trends and emerging technologies, but look across other industries for best pacrtices or processes you could be utilized with your startegy. Take what's working best around the world to shape the future of your business. We have the wheel-how can I or who is doing it better. That's my daily challenge to myself.