3 Must-Have Skills That Aspiring Executives Need

You - the ambitious leader - feel it in your bones that you're ready and willing to accept next-level career challenges. In addition, you have already adopted some of the habits that established executives possess - namely delivering your message with brevity, practicing ethics and integrity, and treating life's challenges as opportunities for growth.

Listed below are 3 suggestions to further accelerate you on that path.

1) BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS.

In today's fast-changing world, a broad frame of reference is more helpful than a narrow one. Being well rounded is extremely important. Take the time to read about leadership skills, product/service development, sales and marketing, strategy management, human resources, and organizational development. All of these subjects will help to improve your generic thinking skills, which will lead to better problem diagnosis and resolution. These traits are highly valued in today's executive-level world.

2) CULTIVATE YOUR DIGITAL AND DATA COMPETENCIES.

Decades ago, employees other than the executives would hold accountability for these factors. This is no longer true. Why? Today, executives are expected to be technologically savvy. Take the time to read and absorb how digital marketing and strategizing can outpace the competition. Otherwise, your company can suffer. How? By losing its competitive advantage, experiencing financial loss, and facing possible extinction. Think of Kodak (the one-time camera giant who filed for bankruptcy in 2012) and Nokia (the cellphone pioneer who lost their industry-leadership footing when the iPhone was introduced).

3) LEARN HOW TO LEAD WITHOUT EGO.

This is hard to do. However, if you want to succeed, strive to control your own reactive behaviors, and keep your ego in check. This is crucial for today's top executives because they have to role-model to their direct and indirect reports, a corporate culture of achievement, unity, and goal-surpassing performance.

Adopt these 3 suggestions to help prove to hiring decision-makers, that you have "the right stuff" to join the executive team and collectively lead your organization to new heights. To craft a professional resume that proves you have the right stuff on paper... click here...