Becoming CEO Starts Long Before The Title

At ON Point, I’m currently coaching several senior executives who are right on the edge of one of the biggest transitions in their careers — stepping from a C-Suite role into the CEO seat.

Across industries, from manufacturing and finance to SaaS and private equity, these leaders are navigating one of the hardest balancing acts in business: delivering results today in the seats they’re in while preparing themselves and their organizations for the next major transition and high growth.

It’s not a promotion, it’s a transformation. And the truth is, you don’t become CEO when you get the title… you start preparing long before you get in the chair.

As a former coach, preparation wins championships. The same principle applies here. The best leaders start learning, thinking, and leading like CEOs before anyone officially calls on them. They shift from execution to strategy, seeing the whole field, making tougher calls, and thinking bigger than their current role.

Execution means finishing strong, driving results, leading with consistency, and modeling the culture you want to scale. It also means developing successors, strengthening leadership depth, and ensuring the business can sustain success when you step up.

Evolution is where the real growth happens, expanding your perspective, understanding every part of the business, and sharpening the presence, confidence, and strategic mindset required to lead at the next level.

Partnering with high-performing executives through this transition is strategic work for me as well as their coach. Challenging how they think, influence, and communicate while building a structure that lasts. We stretch their mindset and readiness so that when the opportunity arrives, they’re already leading from that next level — broader, deeper, and more confident.

The results speak for themselves. Every executive coached whose board or founder set their sights on the next CEO earned the role. A 100% success rate so far.

Proactive preparation, intentional coaching, challenge, and support — that’s how they got there.

And now, they’re all soaring.  :)

Can’t wait for the new clients to experience the same in the near future.