There is no clear road map to get you on that executive team, but there are behaviors that will keep you off it. Here are seven IT types who won't make the cut.

Jimmy the Geek is the stereotypical computer nerd, from his pocket protector to his unfashionable haircut. He looks like a cross between McGyver and Inspector Gadget, right down to his Swiss Army Knife, his iPod and the multifunction cellular "thing" hanging from his belt. He speaks an incomprehensible language of gigabytes and wireless protocols.

This is not an image that will get you into the executive suite. Once you're labeled a geek, you're always a geek.

Look to your CFO as a role model. Accounting is a highly technical profession with all kinds of subtle nuances and jargon, but the CFO's focus is always on the business.

Mr. T not only knows everything about technology, he flaunts it. He began strutting his stuff during the '90s, when the dot-com millionaires made technology cool. T's hard work and technical acumen have bought him the good life: gold necklaces, a flashy car, fabulous vacations.