Is the C-Suite Your Sweet Spot?

What does it take to make it to the top of the corporate ladder? Few of us who've achieved senior corporate positions lack self-confidence, and we've convinced at least one employer of our ability to lead and function with significant independence. How does success in one or two functions translate into a top management position - and how can you improve your chances if that's where you've set your sights?

For this package, reporter Kevin Fogarty asked a variety of career experts about the secret ingredient to help a senior manager convince an employer that she's ready to raise her game to the next level.

The key, experts agreed, lies in building on the leadership skills you've demonstrated within a prescribed function and proving that you can extend them to lead large groups of people whose specialties you can't replicate personally.

Common wisdom warns against becoming a "jack of all trades, master of none." But leadership itself is a trade to be mastered - and the ability to apply it to elicit excellence from other specialists is a common trait of successful C-level executives.