From the May 12, 2010 article titled “Navigating the New Economy: Will the Generalists Emerge as Career Winners?”
Regarding that the career progression model has changed significantly:
“Advanced education and experience are both still important in today’s market, but companies now also want people who can help a company grow quickly when the economy turns around,” says Joel Koblentz, senior partner of The Koblentz Group, an Atlanta, GA–based executive search and consulting firm that works with publicly traded companies and private equity concerns.
“Companies have reduced their overhead in response to the recession, but now, with the bottom either near or here already, they’re looking for people who have a thorough understanding of business development,” he adds.
“Executive MBAs and similar programs remain important, since companies want people with financial and analytical skills, but they also want executives with an extraordinarily high level of emotional intelligence—the ability to identify, assess, and manage their own emotions and those of a group—as well as the ability to apply their analytical judgment. And at this level, they want someone who can do all that right off the bat, without a formal training or mentoring program.”
Regarding the importance of a need for wide range of experience:
“If it’s someone from a financial background, he or she likely has already supplemented it with operational experience,” he explains.
“You also want someone who’s well grounded in principles that carry over across industries. The people who have a wide range of experience and education across platforms, have a spectrum of insight, and are not afraid of engaging with a diverse set of views are the ones who are likely to advance in this environment.”