The Path to CEO

On the heels of the 2005 Social Enterprise conference at Harvard, the Working Knowledge series is presenting a series of articles on social enterprise.

The article, The Path to CEO of a Social Enterprise asks, Is becoming CEO of a nonprofit the right fit for you? Do you have what it takes to follow a non-traditional career path?

What do you think of the following suggestions:

Have a vision that compliments your own personal choices. "Marry your personal passions with your professional desires."

Piece together your experiences. "Combine the elements [of your life] into a cohesive story. There must be some reason you made the choices you've made. Find some nugget that carries through."

Build authority for yourself. "Many of you probably have great ideas," Litman said. "One of the challenges can be to get people to hear your ideas. Think about things you can do to build authority for yourself. Write an article, speak at conferences, and build networks."