Ascending to the C-suite might be the ultimate career goal for ambitious employees, but formidable technical skills, hard work and excellence in problem-solving aren’t enough to get there.

Entering the uppermost echelons of the corporate world demands a shift in thinking and the honing of specific skills that set leaders apart, says Walid Hejazi, a professor at the Rotman School of Management. He is also academic director of executive programs and works closely with many companies in training their leaders and with individuals in honing their leadership skills.

Here are five key skills that can help determined individuals make it to the executive level.

Learning the difference between being a manager and a leader

A huge part of preparing to be a member of the C-suite is knowing what sets a leader apart from a manager, says Hejazi.

“Managers do things right — so if I tell you to balance the books, you know how to do it better than anybody. Leaders do the right things,” he says. “The idea is that as a leader, you have to let go of all of that day-to-day activities and think much more broadly.”

So many aspiring leaders get drawn back into their old roles because they excelled at them and enjoyed them, says Hejazi. To grow, individuals need to pull back from daily operations to become strategists and agenda-setters.

That involves big-picture thinking, letting go of the minutiae of problem solving on individual matters and looking to the future and what issues it might bring. Hejazi says. A leader should be thinking across departments and mulling where an organization should be headed.

“When you're a leader, it's much less tangible,” Hejazi says. “It's inspiring people. It's having conversations. It's going to conferences and meeting with people to understand what the next trend is and how to prepare my organization for that.”

Recognizing the importance of an authentic personal brand

When it comes to senior roles, the majority are filled before those positions are advertised, says Hejazi. That means a company’s leaders must know an individual and their capabilities before any job application is put in.

“They're not going to hire a CFO, COO or a CEO based on a resume or based on an interview,” he says. “You [as a candidate for these roles] have to network, people have to know who you are and … your personal brand matters.”

But a personal brand is not about just promoting attributes online or voicing sharp opinions on social platforms. It’s built by being authentic, showing good judgement, being knowledgeable and exuding “executive presence,” which includes displaying and inspiring confidence, exhibiting open and positive body language and having a trustworthy communication style, says Hejazi. “You're not going to get promoted based on your online presence unless it's completely aligned with your in-person presence,” he says. “You want to portray yourself as a leader.”

Building emotional intelligence

To crack into the C-suite, “excellence is the price of admission,” says Hejazi. But to succeed and stay on in that executive arena, individuals have to display emotional intelligence.

“Empathy is the big one, and social skills,” he says of the various components that make up emotional intelligence.

Empathy helps build and retain talent, while also fostering cross-cultural sensitivity. Strong social skills involve an ability to find common ground and build a rapport with employees, which can help a leader build teams and bring about effective change

Self-awareness — which involves recognizing and understanding one’s own emotions and their effect on others — as well as self-regulation, which can build trustworthiness and openness to change, are also important components of emotional intelligence.

While there remains debate on whether emotional intelligence is something certain people naturally have more than others, Hejazi believes emotional intelligence can be learned and developed.

Emotional intelligence helps leaders work well with others and enables them to spur change effectively, he says.

“You can learn to listen better, you have to have empathy,” he says. “Those are the soft skills — the ability to go into a room and have a conversation with people and let them know that they matter, to inspire them — that’s all emotional intelligence.”

Being honest and communicating clearly

A leader who misleads employees or is considered dishonest will find it very hard to regain trust, says Hejazi, which is why transparency and clear communication are key.

“You have to be so careful in your communication, not misleading people and making sure you have honesty and integrity,” he says.

Communication skills are essential because “if you don't communicate, other people will fill the void,” Hejazi says.

Leaders and aspiring leaders may develop and employ a variety of leadership styles, from coercive to coaching to democratic, but transparency and clear communication in any style is essential.

Different styles should also be deployed in different situations, depending on what the situation demands. In a crisis, for instance, there’s no time to come to a consensus and a leader must make quick decisions that are communicated effectively, says Hejazi.

Being intentional about your path to leadership

An aspiring executive needs to chart a course to becoming a leader, says Hejazi.

“Don't just think it's going to happen. You have to sit there and say, ‘Where do I want to be in three years or five years?’ And then you have to say, ‘When they look at my resume, what has to be on there?’”

If someone has their eye on a senior role at a bank, for instance, they have to ensure they are visible to leaders who might consider them for promotion. They also need to display expertise and executive presence to make others confident in their abilities, he says.

Being intentional also involves being careful about online presence, warns Hejazi, and avoiding making comments on social media that could prove detrimental in the future. “You have to be really, really intentional.”