You're the boss | Five reasons you're ready to be a CEO

As Shakespeare once said, ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.’ And so it is in the world of business.

While there are plenty of ‘rags-to-riches’ stories of people starting off in entry-level jobs and ending up as the CEO – M&S’ CEO Steve Rowe started as a Saturday sales assistant in the Croydon branch of the store before rising up to become the big boss 30 years later – for many, getting that ‘big break’ requires an element of luck.

Lillian Childress from recruitment specialist Glassdoor told business magazine BusinessTech that becoming a CEO does often mean being in the right place at the right time. However, having said that, many experts believe that CEOs are ‘made’ rather than ‘born’ – and that, in fact, you need to learn critical skills such as the ability to give difficult feedback, and develop decision-making skills through experience. Talking to Inc.com, entrepreneur-turned-top venture capitalist Ben Horowitz said that “it generally takes years for a founder to develop the CEO skill set."

There’s no doubt, however, that having certain qualities does mean you’re more likely to be considered for a leadership position. So what are these important qualities?