Women in Financial Services Blog

You’re closer to that C-suite role than you think

katie.robertson / 25 Mar 2024

You’re closer to that C-suite role than you think

Kat Hutchings is a Leadership & Career Coach and Behaviour Change Expert who works with senior leaders at high stakes transition moments. Kat is one of the recommended coaches on our E2W coaching panel. 

When I’m speaking with Managing Directors and senior leaders who are aiming for a C-suite role in their future, they often believe it’s years away.

That they have to put more years in and fill xyz gaps before approaching their firm or external recruiters for executive roles.

What’s actually true is:
1. they haven’t invested enough time and energy in what they want their executive role to be - they don’t have a clear North Star
2. they haven’t looked at executive role descriptions to understand the actual gaps between what they want and where they are now
3. they’re often looking upwards at a particular executive in a particular role and thinking ‘I couldn’t do that’, when the reality is these roles evolve fast and everyone approaches them with subtle differences.

Some ways to shift your perception and approach:

• you will not be the only executive. You do not need to possess every executive skill- the executive team will have a complimentary skill set
• get clearer which 2-3 executive roles you find most compelling and read the job descriptions. Use it as a check list to objectively assess your fit
• focus on a couple of skill gaps that are solvable from your current role. How can you better leverage your current access i.e. add to your remit/ own a new strategy so that you’re addressing the gap now in a role and context you’re already comfortable in. You don’t need to solve for every gap
• work on articulating your story and unique approach - what are your most compelling and powerful leadership moments to date? How do these map to executive role requirements?
• if you want to stay with your current firm, find out where you are on the succession plan. Do you agree with their assessment?

These 5 points will create clarity and focussed action.

You’re closer than you think.

Reach out if you want a more tailored conversation with E2W coaching partner, Kat. 

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