Recipes for remarkable careers.
10/27/2003
James Citrin and Richard Smith, two principal consultants at executive search firm Spencer Stuart, discuss what it takes to make a remarkable career. They identify five patterns as characteristic of a majority of successful leaders: realizing your own potential and demonstrating how it increases value to an organization; creating an environment where all members of the organization can succeed; figuring out how to land the job without required experience even when it appears that it will be impossible to get experience without the job; performing far beyond the defined job parameters; and finally, finding the right fit. The most valuable feature of The Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers is the compelling array of examples—Dan Rosensweig, COO of Yahoo is one—that the authors use to support their arguments. They use Senator Elizabeth Dole's career to make the case that effective leaders typically move beyond defined job expectations, while Rosensweig is cited to demonstrate how savvy executives learn to create personal value in each stage of their careers.