By its nature, C Level is a term to describe high-ranking executives within an organization.
Depending on the area of focus, there are many different disciplines that describe the predominant focus of the role, such as finance, technology, and investments, to name but a few.
Having worked with and advised numerous C Level Professionals, there are some key areas of understanding that all of them possess, no matter the discipline focus.
By understanding these key areas, C Level Professionals, no matter the discipline, can :
- Make the most out of their role: by its nature, C Level is a strategic role so understanding the all-encompassing elements will help you maximize your learning curve
- Make decisions with a reasonable level of confidence: confidence is attained through knowledge. If you know what you are doing, it's much easier to stand by those decisions and reason them out to create buy-in
- Add value to themselves and the business: awareness allows you to not only do your own job better, but also improve the experience of other people within the business working with you
Key areas for you to gain an understanding of :
- The Numbers
Spend time with your finance department in understanding, at least at a generic level, key elements that influence any business: cashflow, asset/liabilities, and cost calculation.
By understanding this, you can plan and phase out your decisions, rather than getting stuck in " we don't have the budget".
2. Understand the viability & lifecycle of your product/service
There are many departments involved here, but start spending time with legal, to understand terms/conditions, regulatory/legal developments, and then procurement/supply chain to understand the timeline and cost from A-Z.
3. Understand the customer
Spend time with sales, marketing, and HR to understand what works / what doesn't and what the demand looks like.
If you are planning to grow your career at C Level and you'd like to talk more about it, reach out to Fran Moisa at FM Search.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
