I’d love some advice from you wonderful people!

Anonymous

May 2,2022 at 6:54AM UTC

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I’d love some advice from you wonderful people! I have been with my current company for about 10 years, moved up through the ranks as it were in my current function. I love my job and hoped one day to lead that team which is a board level role.

My Boss was recently promoted, which left that role vacant and whilst I felt I was a few years away from being ready for that role I was heavily encouraged to apply. As expected, I didn’t get the role but it has opened up a lot of conversations about how to get me ready for the role next time.

Here is my dilemma - there’s another role in our business, that I could move into and get different critical experiences from. I am about 50% qualified for this but would be supported to learn/develop. This could enable me to be in a stronger position to move up in a few years. Or I can stay in role and build a plan to develop in role.

My preference would be to stay in role as I really enjoy what I do. However the person who did get the role to lead the team is not a supporter of me (previous experience here). In fact it could be quite difficult working with him.

Do I persevere and push forward in a role I love with a difficult boss or move out the team and learn something new (which I could fail at?).

All thoughts and opinions very welcome and thank you.

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Gigi DevanneyMay 2,2022 at 12:30PM UTC
I think growing your skillset by moving in another direction would be most beneficial and make you more marketable, especially if you end up leaving the company for another opportunity. Virtually everyone has worked for someone that was not their biggest fan (and if they haven't yet, they most likely will) . It is easy to underestimate the emotional toll and potential career damage that can cause.
I would absolutely pursue the 'other' role.
Tracey MorrisMay 2,2022 at 12:33PM UTC
Any opportunity to expand your knowledge and increase your marketable skills is a win. I would recommend considering the role in another area so you can learn something new within the company. You may find you like that work just as much as your current work, or more!
AnonymousMay 2,2022 at 1:31PM UTC
Go learn something new.
You love the role you're in because your experience has been a positive one. With a difficult boss who doesn't advocate for you that will change quickly. A new role brings new opportunities, connections, and skills. You mentioned you expect to be supported as you learn the new role, so I'm assuming you've had some encouragement in applying and people are invested in your success should you join them.
I joined my current company almost 15 years ago. The manager for team I originally started with was building a business case to have a new role created for me. I wasn't wild about what he was describing, and our relationship had several ups and downs. I was really good at what I did, and I knew I'd eventually get promoted, but there were things that made it feel like a compromise.
During all of this, a manager on another team handling an entirely different but related area of responsibility approached me about joining his team. I had never done anything similar to that kind of work, but was confident that I could learn the skills as I would be well supported. I decided to make the jump, and it was the best decision I ever made.
That new role led to opportunities to work with an entire part of the org that I would never even have spoken with otherwise. That led to a request to join that side of the business and grow a new team, which has led to several promotions since then.
Long story short, a new team will usually lead to new things. Don't focus on the likelihood of failure, that can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Focus instead on the opportunity to grow and where it may take you. You may decide to stay with your current team, but hopefully that decision comes from an abundance mindset, rather than a scarcity one.
AnonymousMay 2,2022 at 2:42PM UTC
very helpful, thank you for taking the time to reply. You are right, think it’s time to learn something slightly new!
AnonymousJuly 13,2022 at 1:08PM UTC
You are so welcome! I hope everything is going well for you.
AnonymousMay 2,2022 at 2:16PM UTC
I've hired people (who were qualified for the role) who were great workers in a rough situation. Sometimes senior management is more aware of the situation than you may realize and in a position to retain excellent employees who are at risk of leaving. The fact that another leader approached you unsolicited says 1) your work is noticed and respected, and 2) at least possibly, others recognize this is not going to be a good situation for you. I would at least initiate further conversation about they are looking for and how your professional development will be managed to ensure you're successful in the new role. Guessing you are still on the younger side since you don't feel like you have the experience for the role you wanted after 10 years with the company, so I'll add that I ended up switching fields entirely in my mid-30s and found my passion in a role I never even knew existed (and would have dismissed). Strongly consider this amazing opportunity to grow and explore your options.