In one line: Ask for a short conversation with the most senior leader you can reach, to learn how they became a leader and what they believe about leadership, and prepare as if it were an interview.
Core idea
The course’s final networking challenge is to meet a senior, ideally the most senior, leader of your own organization or one you admire. Past participants have met CEOs, division vice presidents and chief technology officers. The purpose is simple:
- introduce yourself
- hear how they became a leader
- learn their principles and their advice
It works because good leaders are almost always willing to spend a few minutes with someone in their organization who asks respectfully. It also helps that “it’s an assignment for my program” is a disarming and honest reason to ask.
How it works
- Understand the protocol. Learn how access to senior leaders works in your company, such as going through an executive assistant or a manager’s introduction. Don’t go around people in a way that burns bridges (see Political Mapping).
- Ask briefly and specifically: who you are, why you’re asking, and fifteen to twenty minutes of their time.
- Prepare thoroughly. Read their biography, their public talks and the recent history of their organization. A question that shows preparation earns respect: You moved from engineering into business development early on. What made you do it?
- Ask about their path and principles:
- how they became a leader
- what they learned the hard way
- what they look for in emerging leaders
- what advice they’d give someone in your position
- Follow up with thanks and, later, a note on what you did with their advice.
In practice
The meeting itself is often less intimidating than asking for it. Senior leaders tend to enjoy talking about their path, and they rarely get asked. The lasting value is twofold. You hear firsthand lessons you can compare with what you’ve studied. And a senior leader now knows your name and that you take your development seriously.
Questions to ask yourself
- Who is the most senior leader I could realistically meet in the next two months?
- What do I genuinely want to learn from them?
- What have I done to prepare that would make the conversation worth their time?
Connections
- The broader practice: Networking, Informational Interviews. Opening line: Elevator Pitch.
- Navigating hierarchy: Managing Up, Political Mapping. Learning from leaders at a distance: Studying a Leader.
- Capabilities exercised: Courage, Initiative, Inquiry, Interpersonal Skills.
Sources
- Course networking assignment; no public source.