Failures

As I consider my future career path, I have been doing a lot of reading about management. Today I opened a new book that I picked up to understand how to step in and take charge right in the beginning. The first thing I read was that half of new leaders (HALF!) fail within the first 18 months. Oddly, I felt encouraged by this: I’m not sure I’m ready to move into a CEO position right yet. I like the idea that there should be decent turnover in these positions every 18 months, allowing me some flexibility in timing for my first #1 position. But then I thought, weird. There aren’t a lot of things I’d feel confident about if I were given a 50-50 chance to succeed. So what is it that makes someone say, “I’ll take those odds. Sign me up!”

I am curious what has inspired people to move up, to take the risks associated with the top position, and what the secrets of success are for those who are not in the less desirable half of this equation. What have you done to get the #1 position, and then to succeed with it?