Came across a superbly talented profile recently, whom I thought possess all the attributes of someone who will go very very far in his career. Pity I did not have the chance to meet the guy, who was surfaced before I came into the firm. So how good is he?
Rapid rotation with increasing job responsibilities within his company: he did 5 roles in 5 years in 3 different countries, moving up from marketing to business development to business unit manager and finally Country GM. Having the opportunity to be located in the US, where the headquarters are, for a couple of years is another indicator of how much potential he is perceived to have by his company. And he is only 30 years old.
Good academic track record: INSEAD MBA says a lot. Having a good MBA tells people this much: you must beat stiff competition to squeeze into the top schools, so you must be pretty good.
For the softer aspects: the ability to marry dichotomies and a high IQ and EQ
Marrying dichotomies: A strong strategic orientation and the ability to get things done is a pretty powerful combination. Going into a business, sizing up quickly and accurately the business space, set strategic goals and articulate them well, getting the team along to deliver the goods… Management consulting types are usually good at the strategic and planning level but may not like or have the ability to get their hands dirty. Operational guys, on the other hand, may not have the strategic orientation. If you can do both equally well, you will be prized in any market. And if you are a techie (education and work experience) with the ability to translate technical stuff into business value, you are practically Kobe beef. Employers get very excited when they see someone like this.
High IQ and EQ: Being smart alone doesn’t carry one very far; there is only so much you can achieve alone. If you can demonstrate the ability to grow businesses and grow a team along with it, you can be sure you are on the way to somewhere. Having a high EQ doesn’t mean you make friends easily or have a wide social circle. It’s about how you can motivate and influence people around you to work towards a common goal, day in day out. Easier said than done, or else why would those “Influencer” books be flying off the shelves?
Rapid rotation with increasing job responsibilities within his company: he did 5 roles in 5 years in 3 different countries, moving up from marketing to business development to business unit manager and finally Country GM. Having the opportunity to be located in the US, where the headquarters are, for a couple of years is another indicator of how much potential he is perceived to have by his company. And he is only 30 years old.
Good academic track record: INSEAD MBA says a lot. Having a good MBA tells people this much: you must beat stiff competition to squeeze into the top schools, so you must be pretty good.
For the softer aspects: the ability to marry dichotomies and a high IQ and EQ
Marrying dichotomies: A strong strategic orientation and the ability to get things done is a pretty powerful combination. Going into a business, sizing up quickly and accurately the business space, set strategic goals and articulate them well, getting the team along to deliver the goods… Management consulting types are usually good at the strategic and planning level but may not like or have the ability to get their hands dirty. Operational guys, on the other hand, may not have the strategic orientation. If you can do both equally well, you will be prized in any market. And if you are a techie (education and work experience) with the ability to translate technical stuff into business value, you are practically Kobe beef. Employers get very excited when they see someone like this.
High IQ and EQ: Being smart alone doesn’t carry one very far; there is only so much you can achieve alone. If you can demonstrate the ability to grow businesses and grow a team along with it, you can be sure you are on the way to somewhere. Having a high EQ doesn’t mean you make friends easily or have a wide social circle. It’s about how you can motivate and influence people around you to work towards a common goal, day in day out. Easier said than done, or else why would those “Influencer” books be flying off the shelves?
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