To oversee the daily operations of an organization, top executives do a little bit of everything, they make critical financial decisions, appoint new managers, plan new strategies, all to ensure the organization meets its goals. Top executives closely observe company operations, legal matters, and financial health. Since they are largely responsible for an organization’s success, the work is often stressful; if the company performs poorly, their job is at risk. Top executives also spend a lot of their time developing and building the teams that conduct the work of the organization. They represent their organization at conferences and events, and on visits to the company’s national or international locations. Some oversee a specific part of the business, such as chief financial officers or chief human resources officers. Top executives work in nearly every industry, and any size of organization, from one-person companies, to small non-profits, to firms with hundreds of thousands of employees. In most cases, they report to a board of directors. Executives often work more than 40 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. Top executives usually have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, often in business administration, or an area related to their field, such as public administration. They typically have many years of experience, having earned promotions into managerial positions.
What they do:
Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of public or private sector organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations. Duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources, but are too diverse and general in nature to be classified in any one functional area of management or administration, such as personnel, purchasing, or administrative services. Usually manage through subordinate supervisors. Excludes First-Line Supervisors.
On the job, you would:
Review financial statements, sales or activity reports, or other performance data to measure productivity or goal achievement or to identify areas needing cost reduction or program improvement.
Direct and coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with the production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products.
Direct administrative activities directly related to making products or providing services.
Business
management
customer service
Arts and Humanities
English language
Math and Science
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
manufacture and distribution of products
Basic Skills
keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Social
changing what is done based on other people's actions
understanding people's reactions
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
use rules to solve problems
People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
Leadership
Dependability
Initiative
Integrity
Self Control
Stress Tolerance
You might use software like this on the job:
Customer relationship management CRM software
Oracle Eloqua
Salesforce software
Data base user interface and query software
Blackboard software
Yardi
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Microsoft Dynamics GP
NetSuite ERP
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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