These findings are based on the research of The CEO Genome^®, an in-depth analysis of ghSMART’s database including a sample of over 2,600 leaders drawn from a data set of 17,000 CEOs and C-suite executive assessments, 13,000 hours of interviews, and two decades advising CEOs and executive boards.

Botelho and Powell’s groundbreaking research, the featured cover story in the May-June 2017 Harvard Business Review, reveals the common attributes and counterintuitive choices that set apart successful CEOs. They draw out lessons that we can apply to our own careers, no matter where we are and where we strive to get to.

Much of what we hear about who gets to the top and how is wrong.

• Myth: Those who become chief executives set their sights on the C-suite at an early age. In fact, over 70 percent of the CEOs didn’t hope to reach the corner office until later in their careers.
• Myth: You must graduate from an elite college. Only 7 percent of CEOs in the data set are Ivy League graduates—and 8 percent didn’t graduate from college at all.
• Myth: To become a CEO you need a flawless résumé. In reality: 45 percent of CEO candidates had at least one major career blowup.

What those who reach the top do share are four key behaviors that anyone can master:

• They are decisive
• They are relentlessly reliable
• They adapt boldly
• They engage with stakeholders without shying away from conflict

Culled from a breakthrough study of the most successful people in business and illustrated by real-life stories from CEOs and boardrooms, The CEO Next Door offers career advice for everyone who aspires to get ahead.

Botelho and Powell, utilizing their research insights from ghSMART’s data, tell us how to:

• fast-track our careers by deploying the career catapults used by those who get to the top quickly
• overcome the hidden handicaps to getting the job we want
• avoid the five hazards that most commonly derail those promoted into a new role

For everyone who aspires to accelerate their career trajectory, The CEO Next Door is an essential guide.

Learn more at: ceonextdoorbook.com.