I completely agree with your point 3). If the primary goal is to get into "executive management" then that should be the basis of analysis - and there' s more t

I completely agree with your point 3). If the primary goal is to get into "executive management" then that should be the basis of analysis - and there' s more than one way to do it. Talent/skill, luck and opportunity are all important, it's worth considering how to impact those parameters from your unique circumstance . For example, most large organisations identify key talent and have a track for exec management, getting onto that track by networking and receiving good internal talent scores is one route. In another organisation it might be a case of figuring out if there's a way to progress within the existing structure and asking for support training. And then if there's no possible route, figuring out the best organisation to join where there will be a route. In all cases there are (as you say) only a few seats at the top tier, so make sure you're doing work that you enjoy 90% of the time, doing something horrible for 5 years so that you have a possible opportunity in the future isn't a good trade-off in my opinion.