We have reached the final rung of our Steps Up the C-Suite Ladder and today’s word is Contribute.
Rung ten – The instance you have moved to the level of influence you desire, contribute, contribute and then contribute some more.
You must become skilled at the language and issues facing the C-suite. What keeps them in meetings for untold hours seeking answers for marketplace advantage? Are there M&A opportunities on the horizons, industry trends, and cultural changes with generational changes continually needing addressing and more? You must know what success looks like to this select group you have managed to climb into the bunk with and know the space that you own and why you are the expert. You are a contributor and that’s what the C-Suite is looking for to join the table.
Recent surveys indicate that the C-Suite has valid concerns for the organizational health and success of their business. Technological disruption, governmental controls and regulations over business and talent management are the top three. As a contributor to the organization you must understand these calculated concerns to add to the shareholders value. Deploying the right human capital into the right roles is considered to be one the most important drivers of business in this century.
Capacity is a major concern for organizational health and long term achievement. Very few companies have cracked the puzzle on the development of people in the organization. As a contributor to this major concern to the C-Suite your role is to understand the true cost of talent expansion, the practices and approaches in the fast changing aptitude that are necessary to survive in this market and how fast the continually involving talent needs are changing. Executive coaching, development of high potential employees, role of the genders in the workplace and other socially and economic changes will keep you searching for new ideas to appeal to and maintain a dynamic workforce.
Great contributors are continual learners. The marketplace is changing as we speak with groupings of employees in the workforce that have different learning styles, backgrounds, beliefs, biases, education, political views and skills. Assessment tools today have become so proficient that they make it easier to coach your employees with the bents that bring to the workplace. The use of a reputable 360 assessment is a good return on investment for your staff to help your high potentials excel in their place of work. People love to know that you and your company want to understand what makes them perform to their highest potential. Employees today want to know what you expect from them and why. How you can see results and help the employee to reach measurable contributions to the company they work for.
The way did business in the past has not kept pace with the swiftness of change needed to meet the challenges of growing our talent in the area of technology and leadership competencies and dimensions.
You role as a contributor if you want a seat at the table is one of recurrent learning and digesting new materials and processes. A contributor has a keen sense of awareness of both individual intervention as well as group development of ideas to propel the company forward. One competitive advantage is the rate at which you can change and then adjust to the environment you seek to establish.
Creating contribution is a collective effort. You cannot do it alone. Each employee is critical for the success in a collaborative way for both themselves and the organization. Every company has distinctive challenges and demands and working together can transposition the organization forward like nothing else can.
Success with cooperative learning happens when everyone is on board. In many distinctive ways we see success not just in the formal activities that may be traditional, but informal activities that are not premeditated. Realization happens when employees are giving learning opportunities and then opportunities to share their experiences.
Engaged employees is a major concern of management in our workplace today. Selection and on-boarding with a continual education and development process for these employees will make management proud to have you on their team. Therefore the workforce that we have attracted is our responsibility. The employees must take responsibility for their learning with our guidance and coaching provided for them from the beginning. The more skills our employees are able to gain, the greater the impact on the bottom line for the benefit of everyone in the organizations. Everyone becomes a stakeholder and contributor. People who think and work as continual learners are much happier in their careers. As you can see this too will impact turnover, and turnover is expensive when talent is walking out the door and down to your competition.
Every day is a day to ask yourself when you walk into the door of your office, “what can I bring to the table for the C-Suite?” When we end the day with a great answer to that question, we will have earned our seat at elusive table and our influence will stand tall no matter which table you join.
May you have great success climbing these 10 steps up the C-Suite ladder.
TRAVIS JONES CEO
Travis has been an entrepreneur and business owner in Tulsa for over 30 years. He is a well-known community servant and is dedicated to providing world-class service for everyone we encounter.Travis is a certified Life Options Retirement Coach and is certified to facilitate and deliver the Manager As Coach Learning Series (MACLS) through CPI. He serves on the board of Career Partners International (CPI) and is an equity partner in CPI, offering a global reach with over 220 offices. Travis serves on the Elder Board at Tulsa Bible Church, on the board of New Life Ranch and is a proud member of Tulsa Executives Association (TEA) and is active with several other organizations serving the community and beyond.
Email: travis@cdpartnersinc.com
