The C-suite, also known for the highest-ranking executive positions in a company, has always been a competitive landscape. Beyond functional and operational expertise, leaders are expected to drive innovation, manage stakeholder relationships, spearhead digital transformation, build culture, and navigate global challenges. The composition of the C-suite depends on the size, function, and scale of the organization, with CEOs and CFOs nearly always present, and other functional disciplines emerging with scale and business needs. According to McKinsey, the simple definition of the C-suite is “the group of executives responsible for running an organization.”
The rise to the top is rarely accidental. Most C-suite roles result from deliberate planning and career management. Each journey is deeply personal. Mapping toward a goal that is decades in the making requires a significant amount of careful planning, the cultivation of skills, presence and status, intentional career choices, and seeking out opportunities for increasingly visible and influential roles. The truth is, no one cares or thinks more about your career than you do—you must take ownership of it.
After decades of interviewing, hiring, and working with C-suite executives and Boards, one thing is clear: while no journey is the same, all share a similar drive, determination, and desire to get there. They have been purposeful in managing toward that goal.
Defining and Pursuing Career Goals
According to The Wall Street Journal, the average age for C-suite executives is 57 years old, up six years from where it stood in 1980. For someone in their 20s just starting a career, looking three decades ahead, the journey to the C-suite might feel like a daunting prospect.
Whether the path is clear from the outset or evolves over time, one thing remains consistent—getting there requires planning and patience. For some, the aspiration develops over time, inspired by observing others who have been successful leaders or seeing the effects of poor leadership, coupled with the belief that they themselves can do it better.
Like any goal, a critical first step is determining what success looks like for you. Once you define your own definition of success, career moves must align with and support your broader strategy. Defining success is personal work that may ebb and flow over a decades-long career.
Studying the career path of someone who has gotten to where you aspire to be is helpful for charting a course, whether it be a functional role like CFO, CMO, or CHRO or a broader leadership role like CEO. While not all career paths are linear, some do follow a predictable set of steps along a career ladder. The path to CFO can be clearly mapped; the same may be said for other functional disciplines. Industry focus, company size, and area of expertise are important factors.
If the goal is to become a CEO, it’s important to be cognizant of a few key additional points and understand where “the seat of power” in functional expertise creates the most opportunities. For some industries, a CEO’s lineage might be through sales, but in a technology-focused industry, CEOs with engineering backgrounds might be more marketable. Knowing which functional skills match closely with what is needed at the top opens more doors down the road.
Look at others who have the job you want and reverse-engineer the steps taken, from education to positions held—LinkedIn profiles provide a great reference point for mapping a linear career progression.
Mastering Functional Expertise and Creating Followership
Every functional discipline must master its craft; technical expertise creates the foundation for any executive career. Regardless of your subject matter expertise—whether in finance, human resourcing, operations, marketing, etc.,—mastery of your field is essential. As the world continues to change, skills must evolve to stay at the forefront of business innovation. Continuous learning, both on the job and from outside sources, is imperative.
Beyond being masters of their craft, senior leaders must understand and articulate broader business objectives, such as key growth strategies, profitability, key customers, and market position. If asked to present to the board, could you summarize the strategic plan, key growth levers, and current progress toward goals? Do you understand the macro picture, or are you mired in the mundane?
As a leader, your work is an extension of your personal brand, but your ability to drive and influence does not come from your functional knowledge alone. Your ability to reach the C-suite, and more importantly, your effectiveness in that role, depends on your ability to create followership. According to Harvard Business Review’s article, The C-Suite Skills That Matter Most, “companies increasingly need leaders who are good with people.” Do people want to work with you? Does your team support you? Executive-level skills extend beyond your functional discipline; to be truly effective in driving results, you must create followership in your organization.
Taking Risks at the Right Moment and Creating Opportunities for Advancement
Getting to the C-suite means taking on increasingly complex and visible projects or assignments. Career-defining opportunities often arise when you feel unprepared. These are seminal moments in a career arc. Taking on high-impact roles can feel risky—in fact, it should be—but these critical assignments are frequently stepping stones for advancement.
“People who believe they can succeed see opportunities where others see threats. They’re not afraid of uncertainty or ambiguity. They embrace it. They want to take greater risks and achieve.”—Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won't Get You There “
Growth comes from leaning into the discomfort that risk-taking brings. Graham Weaver is the Founder of Alpine Investments and a Professor at Stanford Business School, he stated to the 2024 Graduating class, “You have to learn not to listen to that voice of fear, because it will lead you to a life that’s too small,” Almost assuredly, you will take a step back as you move forward. Building any skill takes time—think back to how long it took to build the skills that have gotten you where you are today. When confronted with an opportunity, you must rise to meet the moment. Leaders looking to advance their skills, responsibilities, and visibility—especially those who may fail in the classic sense—experience the benefits of both personal and professional growth.
If you are not seeing those opportunities, you need to do one of two things: ask or look elsewhere to gain those experiences. Trying stretch assignments in your current workplace provides an opportunity to take calculated risks where you have credibility and an established reputation. If you’re capable, ask for assignments that get you closer to your goals. Patience is a virtue until it is not. You should be especially thoughtful when deciding if you should stay at a company or move on. If you are playing the long game, and you are continuing to learn important skills, you might want to resist the urge to go where the grass—or the compensation—is supposedly greener. Depth of experience matters in the C-suite, and job-hoppers rarely get there. However, there is a point at which your learning can top out, and you should be open to a move. The key decider should always be your level of learning, not necessarily your current compensation, if getting to the C-suite is your end goal.
Cultivating a Strong Network
Networking is critical for career advancement. Senior executives need more than years of experience; they need a network of individuals who know them well. By mid-career, your network should reflect the working relationships and partnerships you’ve developed over the years. The higher up you go, the more important your network becomes, both within and outside your organization. A strong network provides just-in-time access to subject matter experts, influential thought partners, and advocates. These are individuals, both inside and outside your organization, who can speak to your leadership, business acumen, and work product.
Networking should be based on a mutual give-and-take. Much like a garden, a network must be nurtured and tended to. Reaching out to someone you've known for 20 years for a favor is much easier than asking someone cold on LinkedIn. There’s a concept called pebbling that Adam Grant, an Organizational Psychologist, speaks to. It’s a small act or a gesture to connect with someone to show them they are top of mind, so named for the practice penguins do to show interest in a prospect mate.
Never approach networking with the sole idea of gaining something. Most in business understand the concept of quid pro quo, but if you listen more than you speak and remain genuinely curious about others, your network will continue to flourish.
The Importance of Mentorship and Sponsorship
Finding a mentor and a sponsor can help pave the path to the C-suite. Although occasionally used interchangeably, they are different in operation, and both are impactful. According to Gallop, “mentors and sponsors serve the same function: to propel talent.” Harvard Business Review distinguishes the roles, “while a mentor typically gives you advice or feedback and coaches you on specific skill sets, a sponsor goes a step further. They go out of their way to help you gain visibility and land opportunities that can advance your career.” The article further explains the steps to build mentor and sponsor relationships.
While both are helpful, a sponsor may have a more direct impact on your career. A sponsor will be the person speaking on your behalf when you're not in the room, someone who knows the authentic version of you, believes in your ability, and uses their position of authority to create opportunities for you. In fact, employees who have a sponsor are more likely to receive high-profile assignments and advance within their organizations.
Knowing Where to Look for Opportunities
In every career arc, there are times when you are where you are to learn. Early career is typically focused on building the educational and technical skills in your chosen profession, taking on leadership opportunities, or working with a wonderful boss and mentor. There are also times when you are there to earn. The inflection point where those two come together occurs in your prime earning potential, which peaks in your mid-to-late 40s and 50s, where your experience and leadership command higher compensation packages.
C-suite opportunities typically come through two pathways: internal promotions or external placements. The difference between how public and private markets approach hiring is striking. According to a white paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, 72% of new CEOs at publicly traded companies are promoted from within, while at firms owned by private equity investors, two-thirds are external hires.
Internal advancement highlights the importance of development plans. Sponsorship and getting those key assignments are critical. For external placements, it’s important to know who recruits for these roles. C-suite-level searches are often coordinated by industry-specific search firms and boutique search firms, some focus on specific functional disciplines or serve particular industries. Having a search strategy is essential when looking for a new opportunity. Mapping the market and networking your way into search firms will be essential in helping you make your way toward the top. Building relationships with these firms, especially those specializing in your industry or functional area, is crucial. It’s particularly important to establish these relationships long before you are in the market for a new opportunity. Leveraging platforms like LinkedIn or professional networks can help identify which firms are best suited to your career goals. A list of the top US-based search firms is published annually by Hunt Scanlon, a research group that covers the executive search market.
They Want It, They Believe in Themselves, and Grow from Mistakes
There is a unique je ne sais quoi about C-suite leaders. Many have faced failures along the way, but they all fundamentally share a drive to excel that keeps them in the game—grit, determination, drive, courage, and curiosity. Even in the face of great obstacles, they maintain a positive outlook and keep moving forward. Angela Duckworth has written extensively on these key themes of goal attainment and grit. In her book GRIT, Ms. Duckworth states, “grit is all about holding the same top-level goal for a very long time.”
Barriers Faced by Women and Women of Color Create Additional Challenges
We cannot forget the fact that there are still many systemic structural barriers that exist in our society, work environment, support networks and access to opportunities that serve as additional hurdles. The 10th-Anniverary report on Women in the Workplace, co-authored by McKinsey and LeanIn.org, shared the following: “women today make up 29 percent of C-suite positions, compared with just 17 percent in 2015. But progress has been much slower earlier in the pipeline, at the entry and manager levels.” “At the current pace of progress, it would take 48 years for the representation of White women and women of color in senior leadership to reflect their share of the US population; this is true parity for all women. ”Although there has been some improvement, the data speaks volumes about the work that remains to be done.
Conclusion
Reaching the C-suite requires intentional planning, consistent skill development, and the ability to seize key opportunities. While no two paths are identical, successful executives share a dedication to mastering their craft, cultivating strong networks, and demonstrating leadership beyond their functional expertise. The journey is not without risks, but those who embrace challenges, remain adaptable, and prioritize growth are most likely to make it to the C-suite.
Mara Edgar is a seasoned portfolio operating executive and strategic partner, specializing in rapidly scaling middle-market global businesses and building high-performing teams. She currently serves as the Managing Director of Human Capital at The Riverside Company, a PE Fund with a portfolio of more than 140 companies across industries. Prior to this, Mara held significant roles including Chief Human Resources Officer at Parthenon Capital and Operating Partner at Arrowroot Capital Management. Her experience spans various industries such as SaaS, software, tech-enabled business services, healthcare, pharma, and professional services. Mara’s expertise includes Board and C-Level talent recruitment and retention, organizational design, talent management, M&A, and executive coaching. She is a frequent speaker on Private Equity operating best practices. Mara is passionate about giving back, and supports a number of non-profit efforts, she is a Trustee of the Parker Charter School and collaborates with organizations like 51Vets and How Women Lead to increase access and opportunities in Private Equity. She holds a JD from Suffolk University Law School and a BA in Political Science from Wheaton College (MA).
