PMcrunch

I recently read a foreign post where somebody asked if project management was good preparation for the job of CEO. There were a variety of comments most of which I find somewhat discouraging saying that, project management was inadequate preparation for a CEO position and that CEO positions involve a lot of different skills. While arguably these things are true, I think that we can take a positive take on that question and ask “What would differentiate a project manager who might on the CEO track from one who is not?”

One of the differentiators I thinks is that a potential CEO is someone who is willing to make “Bet Your Job” decisions. This means that they are willing to stick out their neck and take on stand on something that involves risk and for which they are willing to take full responsibility.

This last part – willing to take full responsibility – is key as anyone who makes a “Bet Your Job” decision is not going to blame anyone else if it does not workout as anticipated.

This is one essential feature of a CEO : to take full responsibility for ones decisions. A CEO is not an adviser; a CEO is both visionary and implementer.

For those of us who aspire to be CEO’s, we need to ask ourselves if on a regular basis we are being both visionary and implementer. We need to ask if we are willing to make “Bet Your Job” decisions and if in so doing we are willing to take full responsibility for the outcome.

There are plenty of opportunities for project managers to assert and demonstrate these capabilities. The choice is up to the individual.

John Reiling, PMP
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