The rules change when you make the move from Director to Vice President in a startup. You're not playing TiddlyWinks anymore - this is high-stakes Baccarat. You can't worry about fitting into a group on an interpersonal level. You've got to make the group. With one fell swoop, you've moved into a zone where you're judged based upon your perceived ability to deliver a strong ROI. You're a champion, or you're a liability. And the money on the table is yours.

At that first meeting, you've got 30 seconds to convey the following qualities:

• Intensity, Energy, and Passion
• Leadership
• Honesty and Integrity
• Intellectual Capacity

Then you've got to sustain the enthusiasm you're projecting for at least 30 minutes after that (triathlon training may come in handy here). Additionally, if the interview is running smoothly (and your engine's going strong), the skills you must show you are bringing are:

• New insight
• Improved execution for the organization
• Contacts and experience they can leverage to help the company get THERE faster
• The ability to woo and win shareholder wealth

Executive responsibilities will take your focus beyond managing the company and into the realm of managing expectations of yourself, your team, your Board, and your Investor community. Hot skills, but they're long in the making and are often developed only through time and dedication - and if you haven't been there before, read this as "what family, what friends, what life?"

So, if you really are ready to be a Vice President, be sure you know how to walk the walk AND talk the talk because the path is narrow and the walls have ears.