Reach the top at 35

I have read about very young guys who joined a corporation as trainee manager when they were 21or 22, just after graduation, and became the CEOs at 35. There are 500 or so of them in the world now. How do they reach the very top at 35?  

They would come earlier and leave later and do more than they are paid and expected of. They think about and learn how their work can be done in a better and more efficient way.   They would volunteer to do the work of an employee who is absent. Their eyes and ears are open to know the present and future market trends and reflect on the direction the company should take. Their ‘real work’ starts when they leave office- learn from the internet and other sources the latest developments in their line of work, search for innovative ideas, how to cut costs and increase efficiency.

 They start taking interest in every department –sales, production, accounting, finance, human resource R&D and study the functions of each in detail  sacrificing their free time  and pleasures of idling with friends or watching TV.  These give them more breadth and prepare them for larger responsibilities. When there is a meeting they give more relevant suggestions and the owners will note in their minds, ‘here is the leader for tomorrow.’ Promotions would be quick to come by and they become CEOs at 35 or before. 

Contrast this with employees, including professionally employed  people, who do their work perfunctorily for the pay.  Public sector employees’ jobs are assured regardless of their work efficiency (there is no evaluation) in many of the emerging economies. They do the bare minimum just to retain the job.  There are many of them who will be paid fully for affixing signatures in the attendance register once in a week or once in 2 weeks! A colossal waste of the wealth of the state.

There are professionally employed people who read politics and get involved in heated discussions. It is OK to get to know what is going around but to dissipate one’s energy in an area they are not connected with at all, defocuses one’s mind. They do not get time to update themselves on the latest trends, discoveries and developments nor are they able to apply their minds on what they are engaged in. They pull on perfunctorily just for the pay, contributing less, if not nothing, to the job.