Advancing to next level.
I would greatly appreciate advice on how I can position myself to move to the next level (becoming a manager/leader). I have more than 15 years of experience, excel at my jobs, consistently surpass goals and get excellent reviews but I have changed jobs quite a bit (every 1-2 years minus a few jobs I’ve held longer). I am now at the Director level with no direct reports. I’d like to move up to Senior Director or ideally VP and manage a team but can’t seem to make it past screenings because I don’t have x years of experience managing others. How can I get a job managing others if I don’t have experience managing others? Lol. So my questions are:
what specifically can I do to better position myself for a leadership position?
has it been a mistake changing jobs instead of staying around longer and trying to wait out a promotion/advancement?
And what if there are others also wanting advancement (and are excellent in their roles as well) and they were hired before me so they would probably get promoted first - how can I stand out?
Any advice that can help me prepare would be very helpful. Thank you!!
Renee Pollins
Executive Coach, Strategy, Program Facilitation
22
10/25/21 at 5:23PM UTC
Getting to manage others usually starts with leading people (in all levels of the org) in a great way to make really cool stuff happen. Maybe you're already doing this... you also need to walk a fine line of demonstrating & telling people you're effectively influencing others - without it being all about you or looking like a try-hard. People like following people who are purposeful, engaging, empathetic and help them to achieve things they wouldn't have otherwise.
I don't know that moving jobs as often as you have is a strike against you... it's kind of expected these days but usually I see people who change after 3-4 years. That said, it depends on the culture where you work... If you work someplace where people typically stay for 5-25 years, then they could be waiting to see if you're going to stick around before they promote you. Or they could want to see you lead people regardless of actually having a team of your own.
FWIW, I write a weekly newsletter for mid-career women who want to develop their leadership and expand their impact. If this sounds like something you'd like to check out, you can sign up here: https://www.reneepollins.com/newsletter
Anonymous
10/22/21 at 12:08PM UTC
Oh this sounds like my story. I haven't reached the Director level yet b/c I need supervisory skills at lower levels first. I moved around because I saw that I had to build opportunities or a path for myself. Companies I worked for either had slow movement or absolutely no movement at all. I didn't want to say at each company working the same job for 6-7 years before being considered for a promotion. So I got what I needed from each job and ever couple years, I moved on to the next job that would give me more than the last. I have moved up so far that now I have to consider a lateral move to get prepare for the management level position I'm interested in. But I can say that I finally found a company where I've been able to advance within and I've been employed there for more than just a couple of years. So like you, I am faced with seeking staff management experience. I don't want to move from company to company anymore so my options are moving to lateral positions or participating in volunteer opportunities.
Anonymous
10/22/21 at 1:45AM UTC
Thank you all so much for your insight!! Every reply was extremely thoughtful and I will use yours suggestions to create a growth plan!
User deleted comment on 10/22/21 at 1:43AM UTC
Anonymous
10/21/21 at 8:35PM UTC
So far you strategy has worked but now you're at the stage where you need to show people leadership skills & experience. For that you need to either sit tight or find a startup or small company that offers the position you're looking for at the VP level looking to save $ in exchange for the title. Get a couple of years at the VP level and then bounce.
Anonymous
10/21/21 at 6:27PM UTC
Some good advice already posted - think about how you could expand your current scope of responsibility if you had a new staff member under you; pursue volunteer opportunities that would require you to manage multiple people/groups; consider a lateral move that would put you in a direct supervisory role. We had someone apply for a senior role several years ago who had limited experience in several key aspects of the job. The person who was hired was not a good fit, and in the meantime the internal candidate worked on the skill gaps identified during the interviews. When there was a leadership change, the internal candidate was a much stronger candidate and landed the position. Primary job duties hadn't changed, but specific institutional volunteer/leadership experiences were actively cultivated in the interim and it made all the difference.
Anonymous
10/21/21 at 3:54PM UTC
If your job supports go getters you might ask to start a mentoring program of sorts. If not, you can always contact a few potential mentors and ask to take them to coffee and have an informational interview The good ones will offer to continue to be a resource person for you. That will help. I have often hustled and found peole to help even when no one offered or thought to offer. I find that people usually enjoy talking aboutr themselves and having their brains icked.
Erin
10
10/21/21 at 3:20PM UTC
Is there a mentorship program in your organization? If not, could you help create one? Mentorship skills are not the same as managerial skills, but you could certainly show your manager that you can take on more responsibility and help grow junior employee careers in the process.
