You think you’re ready to become the top executive at your organization.  

But the question is, do you have the two pieces of information that will determine your success as a top executive?  

There’s a lot of people who chase the top spot in any organization. 

They come in thinking that the job is about 50 different things, and they miss the two most important things that will determine their level of success.  

If you don’t have these two things, you’ll become an executive that just has the title.  

It has a responsibility, but it’s not getting the job done.  

You won’t be respected by your peers around the country.  

You won’t be respected by the top board that governs your organization. 

You may not even be respected by the people below you because you fail to understand the two fundamental things that the top executives in every organization must have if they want to succeed.  

I want to give them to you and give you an opportunity to understand how to become a successful top executive. 

One that is doing amazing things.  

One that is growing a great organization and growing great people. 

One that puts yourself in the best position to be successful long-term.  

Two Things You Need to Become a Top Executive 

1. Vision 

You have to have a vision.  

You have to have a vision of where you want your company to go.  

You have to have a vision that’s inspiring.  

A vision that’s empowering.  

And most importantly, a vision that everybody sees themselves a part of. 

You might have a great vision that resonates with you, the board and one or two other people. 

But your vision has to resonate with every person in the organization.  

They have to connect to it.  

You have to paint a picture that they understand.  

You must understand how different people will see your vision. 

You can’t have a vision and just put it in a memo document and expect everyone to read it. 

Don’t put it in PowerPoint presentation. 

And definitely, definitely, definitely don’t send it out in email because I promise you, nobody will read it.  

So, if you have a vision for your organization, you have to find a way to communicate that vision to everybody. 

Without a vision, your team will perish. 

1. Expertise 

You’ve got to become an expert. 

You may know your subject area. 

You’ve probably studied to get a PhD. 

You know your work and product through and through. 

Your knowledge is unquestionable, but product knowledge is not going to help you to be a great executive.  

It actually may lead you to be a terrible executive. 

If you know so much about the product, you probably need to be doing the job and not leading the team. 

You don’t need to become a product expert; you’ve got to become a people expert. 

When you become a top executive, you’re going to spend about 90% of your time around people.  

You’re going to be talking to a lot of people. 

People who are your peers and direct reports. 

You’ve got to understand people. 

Understand what inspires them. 

Understand what makes them tick and frustrates them. 

You have to know these levers for every person you lead. 

When you understand people, you can move people. 

You can motivate them. 

You can help them transition into another role or even to another organization. 

You can connect with them in way that’ll you’ll never be able to if you’re only a product expert. 

If you want to be a successful top executive, you’ve got to have those two things; vision and expertise.