不过我们权且认为，你这位朋友抱定了当老大的决心，不管是在这家公司，还是在其他地方，并且把“C”职位视为登顶之路上的一个驿站。《顾问》一书生动地描写了不少知名CEO当初是如何巧妙利用二把手职位的故事。在海特纳看来，这些“首席执行官学徒”要做的头等大事就是，老老实实反躬自省，看看自己首先得磨练好哪些技能才能成为大家心目中的一把手。

    所以，你这位朋友的当务之急是，弄清楚自己这次为什么落选了。海特纳特别指出，现在对各公司来说，人才培养至关重要，因此缺乏聘用、激励、挽留明星员工的良好记录，有时就会让一些雄心勃勃想当首席执行官的高管犯下错误。“很可能你这位朋友一直只一门心思为自己奋斗，却没有栽培出足够多的追随者——这就和埃里克•坎托（前共和党众议院）的情况一样，他当时的心思都放在华盛顿特区，却忘了回到弗吉尼亚州争取支持者。”

    无论是出于何种原因他被认为还没有做好执掌大局的准备，你都应该帮他一个忙，请他在拒掉二把手位置前三思而行。

    反馈：你曾有过低于你预期的升职机会吗？你当时作何反应？请留下宝贵评论。（财富中文网）

    译者：清远

    But let’s say your friend is determined to reach the No. 1 spot, either at this company or somewhere else, and sees the “C” job as a step along that path. Consiglieri is packed with lively stories of how well-known CEOs made smart use of their No. 2 stints. The first thing such “apprentice CEOs” have to do, by Hytner’s lights, is take an honest look at what skills they need to sharpen before they’re seen as chief executive material.

    So your friend’s first step should be to find out exactly why he was passed over for the top job this time. Hytner notes that talent development, for example, is crucial to companies now, so the lack of a great track record for hiring, inspiring, and keeping star employees sometimes trips up aspiring CEOs. “It could be that your friend has been so focused on his own career that he hasn’t brought enough people up with him—like [former Republican Congressman] Eric Cantor, who was so intent on what was happening in D.C. that he forgot to go back to Virginia and win over the voters.”

    Whatever the reason he may be perceived as not ready to run the whole show, you’d be doing your friend a favor by suggesting he think twice before turning down the No. 2 job.

    Talkback: Have you ever been offered a promotion that was less than you expected? How did you respond? Leave a comment below.