Department manager to chief executive officer
A department manager already meets 58% of what the chief executive officer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.7/ 100
1 How much of what a chief executive officer is expected to do is already part of a department manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the chief executive officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chief executive officer role treats 19 of its required skills as things a department manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse business plans
- assume responsibility for the management of a business
- business process modelling
- company policies
- conclude business agreements
- develop company strategies
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 34 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chief executive officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a department manager background worth leading with.
- already held describe the financial situation of a region information skills
- already held ensure lawful business operations assisting and caring
- already held interact with the board of directors communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held shape corporate culture management skills
- already held shape organisational teams based on competencies management skills
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations communication, collaboration and creativity
All 34 carried skills, including the 19 the chief executive officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn develop business plans required
- still to learn define organisational standards required
- still to learn imprint visionary aspirations into the business management required
- still to learn integrate shareholders' interests in business plans required
- still to learn lead managers of company departments required
- optional, not held manage publicly traded companies optional
- optional, not held define the corporate structure optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held motivate employees optional
- still to learn build trust required
- still to learn establish collaborative relations required
- still to learn liaise with shareholders required
- optional, not held apply import strategies optional
- optional, not held implement airport emergency plans optional
- optional, not held implement improvements in airport operations optional
- optional, not held implement operational business plans optional
- optional, not held provide assistance to airport users optional
- optional, not held apply export strategies optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held disseminate general corporate information optional
- optional, not held implement strategic planning optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
- still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn interpret financial statements required
- optional, not held identify airport safety hazards optional
- optional, not held airport operating environment optional
- optional, not held joint ventures optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held airport environmental regulations optional
- optional, not held airport planning optional
- optional, not held apply airport standards and regulations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chief executive officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop business plans practise this
- 02 analyse financial performance of a company practise this
- 03 build trust practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 34 skills that carry over
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held assume responsibility for the management of a business skill
- already held business process modelling knowledge
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held conclude business agreements skill
- already held develop company strategies skill
- already held develop organisational policies skill
- already held develop revenue generation strategies skill
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held marketing management knowledge
- already held negotiate with stakeholders skill
- already held plan medium to long term objectives skill
- already held shape corporate culture skill
- already held shape organisational teams based on competencies skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held track key performance indicators skill
- already held abide by business ethical code of conducts skill
- already held business law knowledge
- already held collaborate in company's daily operations skill
- already held describe the financial situation of a region skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held ensure lawful business operations skill
- already held evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held impart business plans to collaborators skill
- already held interact with the board of directors skill
- already held international trade knowledge
- already held keep updated on the political landscape skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held subsidiary operations knowledge
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage publicly traded companies optional
- optional, not held airport environmental regulations optional
- optional, not held airport operating environment optional
- optional, not held airport planning optional
- optional, not held apply airport standards and regulations optional
- optional, not held apply import strategies optional
- optional, not held implement airport emergency plans optional
- optional, not held implement improvements in airport operations optional
- optional, not held implement operational business plans optional
- optional, not held provide assistance to airport users optional
- optional, not held apply export strategies optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held define the corporate structure optional
- optional, not held disseminate general corporate information optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held identify airport safety hazards optional
- optional, not held implement strategic planning optional
- optional, not held joint ventures optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
- optional, not held motivate employees optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
46 held skills the chief executive officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business processes skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
- not needed by the target role banking activities knowledge
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role business loans knowledge
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a financial plan skill
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- not needed by the target role establish communication with foreign cultures skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
- not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
- not needed by the target role exercise stewardship skill
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial jurisdiction knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role human resource management knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role manage office facility systems skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role market entry planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
- not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role prospect new regional contracts skill
6 further entries not listed here
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held airport environmental regulations optional
- optional, not held airport operating environment optional
- optional, not held airport planning optional
- optional, not held joint ventures optional
- optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
Common questions about this move
Can a department manager become a chief executive officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A department manager already covers 58% of what a chief executive officer is expected to do: 34 skills carry over, 19 of which the chief executive officer role treats as required.
What skills does a department manager need to become a chief executive officer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is develop business plans.
How hard is the move from department manager to chief executive officer?
Its learning distance is 52.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.