Hi {{ subscriber.first_name }},
I became a CEO at 35.
Looking back, this is what helped me to get there so early:
1. I didn’t choose an easy path
I could have worked near home (I grew up in a small town) or moved to a big city to work for a large firm as most of my friends did.
Instead, by the age of 31, I worked already across Africa, in the middle of the sea on a platform, in a bush, under a dictatorship, in countries with hard-to-accept norms.
2. I looked for challenges and troubles
Early on in my career, my bosses noticed my ambition and desire to take on challenges. I asked for it. They offered me challenging responsibilities, I accepted them knowing the risk, and I didn’t leave when things became difficult.
I stayed, suffered, and maximized my learnings.
3. I helped all bosses to succeed
I early realized that making my boss happy wasn’t enough. I needed to do more. This is when I realized that I should have known them better to understand what they aspired for. Not just business results.
I helped them to get there. They returned the favor without me asking for it.
4. I built my professional network from day 1
I realized very quickly that your network is your net worth. I was a young man working in tough conditions, in a conservative industry, in a large company surrounded by very experienced colleagues.
After just 4 years, I knew everybody in the organization. I spent hours talking to colleagues. I knew the company inside out. I never said NO to a meeting, also with people outside of my company and industry. I did it without having an agenda. It was just my genuine interest in other people’s lives.
5. I never became complacent
After 6-8 years in my fast-track career, I had a tough time and a couple of failures. I stopped learning and started to get too much comfortable with my early successes.
This was a red flag. After that, I promised myself that I would never do that again. Since then, I never accepted mediocrity for myself. I kept pushing to get better despite the comfort of my new life.
In summary…
Getting to the top has nothing to do with luck, talent, or IQ. And it’s not rocket science.
Success always leaves footprints. But we don’t spend enough time looking for them.
Success is about observing what’s working, doing it consistently, and doubling it down over time.
What did you learn from your own career/success?
You can listen the entire episode here: https://www.andreapetrone.com/podcast/
Andrea Petrone
Human Performance & Leadership Advisor to CEOs, CXOs and their Teams | Speaker | Facilitator
...Need more? Here are other ways to get value from what I do:
1) Did you miss my previous articles? Get inspired today at: https://www.andreapetrone.com/blog/
2) Do you want to support the podcast? Share it with friends and leave a review on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0rWvMSSUGtbeBUcLXytR9H?si=ec0ce4054a874f20
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-world-class-leaders-show/id1588150545?i=1000579541774
3) Want to work with me (one-to-one or with your team)? Book a 30min call with me here to discuss more: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy