Author Offers Advice On How To Become A Top Business Executive

By John Ostapkovich

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--The comic strip Dilbert gets big laughs from the dopey pointy-haired boss, but an entrepreneur and consultant says it's no fun at all actually being that clueless.

Temeko Richardson's "Get a Clue: 10 Steps to an Executive IQ," springs not only from her business school days at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple, but countless forays into businesses of all sizes.

She says the number one mistake boss' make is to lead by dictating rather than bringing staffers into a shared vision of what success looks like.

Richardson says the book also applies to those who are not executives yet.

"If you understand the bigger vision as to what you're doing and how it applies to the end results, in terms of the success of the company or department, then that helps you frame how you can actually climb the corporate ladder."

The book includes ways to measure how your organization shapes up, but Richardson notes the first challenge is whether you're up to self-improvement.