Here is another question - i must be on a roll
What specific turning points (sudden or gradual) moved you significantly forward along your path moving up the corporate ladder towards becoming a CEO? Secondly, what was the first thing you did coming out of college or grad school that got you set on a path of success/progression? Or, were there initial obstacles that you had to deal with?
So the first question … first!! The biggest turning point was taking a risk. I saw an opportunity to run a company and i made a sales pitch to the board, had the incumbent sacked and took over running the business. I made my own luck. If i had not taken the risk and made a pitch to the board - the safety net would not have appeared and i would not be typing today.
As for the second question - the first thing i did after college was going into sales with IBM. This was a great start as i learned to sell - computers, myself, everything. From this i was able to understand what makes a sales person tick — no sales, no revenues - therefore this is probably the most critical skill i learned.
I also did an MBA and went to work for McKinsey and co for 4.5 years … this is much better than an MBA. Management consulting (for a short period of time) is a great lesson. Too long and you just become so detached from the real world!!!
There you go … some more about me.

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