Imagine 100 people working at a large company. They’re all middle managers, around 35 years old. They’re all smart. All collegial. All hard-working. They all have positive attitudes. They’re all good communicators.

So what will determine who gets the next promotion, and the one after that? Which of them, when the time comes, will get that corner office?

Distilling the Wisdom of C.E.O.’s
By ADAM BRYANT
Published: April 16, 2011

A version of this article appeared in print on April 17, 2011, on page BU1 of the New York edition.

This article was adapted from “The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons From CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed,” by Adam Bryant, author of the weekly “Corner Office” column in The New York Times. The book, published Tuesday by Times Books, analyzes the broader lessons that emerge from his interviews with more than 70 leaders.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/business/17excerpt.html