Chapter 7. Paying Dues:
No Chances, No Dances

Luck is not chance—it’s toil. Fortune’s expensive smile is earned.

—Emily Dickinson

OF ALL THE THINGS CEOS AND HIGH-LEVEL EXECUTIVES ARE PROUD OF, many seemed to be most proud of the fact that they paid their dues along the way. Many leaders profiled in this chapter opted not to take the cushy road to the helm. Indeed, quite a few chose to get their starts in more menial jobs as a way to learn from the ground up. Others went from the executive track back to the rank-and-file trenches in order to understand the real world on the front lines.