There are three breakthrough pathways that the most successful C-suite residents tend to leverage.

• Being a “fixer.” From an early age, people with this type of capability naturally see how things in their organization could run better. They instinctively rethink systems, processes, and reporting structures — even before they have the authority to change anything.
• Being a “relationship maven.” Leaders with this skill have a natural curiosity about other people, which starts early in their careers. As they progress in their careers and their network of “friends” grows, these leaders instinctively start bringing different people together in rooms to pull off deals and collaborations that get bigger over time — yielding results others have a difficult time replicating.
• Being a “passion player.” These leaders believe that accomplishing something significant is what matters, and they use that belief to recruit and motivate others to their cause. They are often deep experts in a particular area, bringing tremendous business knowledge and/or strategic thinking to a particular topic, that helps make the story behind their passion compelling to a broad array of stakeholders.