Exploring the Pathway to CEO: The Journey Typically Skipped by Men

What does the journey to becoming a CEO typically look like? Is there a standard career progression one needs to follow? Interestingly, research has shown that this pathway is often not linear, particularly when examining the careers of male CEOs. A significant percentage, in fact, 29% of male CEOs, have been found to skip one crucial step on this journey – leading a business unit.

What Does Leading a Business Unit Involve?

Leading a business unit, often considered a stepping stone towards becoming a CEO, involves managing a subset of a company’s operations. It provides an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and understand the intricacies of the business at a granular level. This crucial stage is however often bypassed by men on their business career progression towards becoming a CEO.

Why Do Men Often Skip Leading a Business Unit?

The reasons why men often leapfrog this step in their career journey are diverse. Some cite reasons such as the speed of their professional advancement or being headhunted for top-tier roles. Others attribute this tendency to systemic gender biases within the corporate world.

What are the Implications of Skipping Leading a Business Unit?

While skipping the step of leading a business unit may accelerate the journey to CEO, this could potentially impact the quality of leadership. Without the experience of managing a business unit, CEOs could lack a holistic understanding of the company’s operations, which could result in less informed decision-making.

By understanding and addressing this trend, we can work towards more balanced and effective leadership within the global corporate world.

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