Leadership-Changing Careers

While many people would feel that someone needs to be “born” for a specific type of job, I disagree with this idea. Questioned by a professor was if a great football coach could be hired as a CEO of a large company and be equally successful? In my mind it is definitely possible. I think the better question is not if they are capable of being a successful leader but rather how committed they are to that specific task. If you set your mind to something and you work hard at it, then you can succeed in anything. It may be true that you need to have leadership skills but that is something that can be acquired with the right mindset and work ethic.

Marissa Ann Mayer, an American business executive, has proven to be successful in a change of organizations. Originally a key spokesperson for Google, she is now currently the CEO of Yahoo. Ranked 14 in Fortune Magazine for most powerful businesswomen in 2012, Ms. Mayer has proved that.

While people like Martha Stuart and Andrea Boccelli may not have been deemed “leaders” in their prior careers, I believe they are certainly influential now on many people whether it is Martha Stuart with her influential television role coming from a life as a stockbroker or Mr. Boccelli with his moving music who was at one point an attorney. Regardless of whether that leadership skill is apparent, those who work hard to change the path in which they are headed can succeed in what they choose. Good leaders take their leadership habits with them wherever they end up.
Mayer, Stuart, and Boccelli all express the four foundations of leadership. They had a vision of what they wanted, they developed traits that put them in a preferred position of power, and had a style unique to each of them. They are all successful leaders through their knowledge and acquired skills.