For starters, remember to always think of LinkedIn as a tool for business, not an online résumé. Even though LinkedIn fancies itself as just that—an online résumé (and then wonders why more people don't engage)—executives should not treat LinkedIn as an online résumé.
Read MoreBut the P&L hiccup held lessons for both. Three lessons, in fact. One, P&L management matters. Two, not all search firms are built equally (the firm should have done better). Three, the CEO in question might have been short-sighted by not exploring a bit further. The important lessons are still there for all to see.
Read MoreAs an executive résumé writer and career coach who has long-worked with Fortune 50 executives, I've also long-noticed that CEOs—somewhere in their early careers—either founded a company and drove it to success, or in some other way faced a wall of professional accountability that might have crushed their peers.
Read MoreFrom Ben Horowitz' "the hard thing about hard things is that they don't have a formula" to Jason Fried's coauthored startup book, 'Rework.' (If you missed it, be sure to catch my recent mention of Jason Fried's not-to-be-missed December 2012 blog post about the role mistakes play in our lives.)
Read MoreHeidrick & Struggles tweeted this morning a link to their 2015 CEO Report: Embracing the Paradoxes of Leadership and the Power of Doubt. If you're a CEO, or well on your way, this quite simply is one not to miss.
Read MoreBut the question is a good one, because every journey begins with a single step.
If you're thinking what a Fortune 500 board directorship might look like, Heidrick & Struggles yesterday released their Four Boardroom Trends to Watch. The downloadable publication presents an interesting breakdown including new seats filled, average age of directors, percentage of directors who are current or former CEOs and CFOs, and more.
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