Nike's leadership development wasn't a structured program. Instead, they pushed promising talent like future CEO Mark Parker by assigning them to solve urgent business crises. This "on the job training by crisis" rapidly developed their general management skills, resilience, and adaptability.

To become a more effective leader with a holistic business view, deliberately seek experience across various interconnected functions like operations, marketing, and sales. This strategy prevents the narrow perspective that often limits specialized leaders, even if it requires taking lateral or junior roles to learn.

Aspiring leaders often believe they need more experience before taking the helm. However, the unique pressures and responsibilities of the CEO role can only be learned on the job by 'jumping into the fire.' The most effective preparation is to simply start, embrace the steep learning curve, and supplement with outside resources.

After failing to hire the right leader for Expedia's largest business unit twice, Dara Khosrowshahi realized he didn't understand the job's requirements. He took on the role himself for several years. This hands-on experience gave him the deep operational understanding needed to finally identify and hire the right person.

By acting as a forward-deployed engineer in the early days, the CTO gained deep customer and sales motion insights. This direct market experience was crucial for his successful transition into the CEO role.

Ron Cooper credits his success not to being a "scaling guy" at Bristol-Myers Squibb, but the "fix-it guy." Being deployed to turn around struggling business units across different geographies and therapeutic areas provided the multicultural, problem-solving toolkit essential for navigating the constant challenges of leading a biotech startup.

For scaled businesses, the CEO's job isn't to be the best at every function but to orchestrate top-tier talent. Richard Dickson embraces not being a clothing designer, instead focusing on hiring specialists who are better than him and creating a harmonious system where they can execute a shared vision.

To fix an underperforming division, the CEO reset its strategy by identifying where the company had unique assets (e.g., managing complex international programs) and focusing on specific customer segments. This reduced exposure to commoditized markets and leveraged unique strengths.

The founder hired an experienced CEO and then rotated through leadership roles in different departments (brand, product, tech). This created a self-designed, high-stakes apprenticeship, allowing him to learn every facet of the business from experts before confidently retaking the CEO role.