Career Growth Observations

My top ‘rules of thumb’ for growth and advancement :

• Your manager is your greatest ally in growth — they have the unique vantage point to see your contributions and can direct valuable opportunities your way. As you advance, the perspectives of peers and executives become increasingly influential in shaping your path.
• Remember that career advancement isn’t simply an equation of “performing well” plus “time served.” — the catalyst for growth comes from consistently going beyond the bounds of your current role through initiatives you personally champion.
• Be on the lookout for learning opportunities — if you’re not learning anything new then your growth is stagnating
• No-one can make 100% guarantees and promises about advancement — even sincerely evaluated and good intent statements from your manager or others can be affected by too many factors to be considered guarantees
• Own your own growth — especially in later management levels you are expected to plan/drive/evaluate/iterate. Your manager is there to support but you should not expect them to drive
• Demonstrate readiness — you need to be operating at the next level before promotion becomes possible
• Build visibility beyond your function — the more people outside your function who can see that you are improving and up-levelling things, the better
• The impact/skills/experience needed to get from one level to the next is exponential — in other words, the step from Director to VP is much larger than the step from Sr Mgr to Director
• The most opportunities come in fast-growing environments — in slower-growing environments (which is most companies) then growth and advancements comes from increasing your impact and taking on more responsibilities
• Succession planning is important — If it’s clear that you’ve ensured that others can step into your current role then it’s easier to advocate that you move into new areas
• Cultivate relationships thoughtfully — as you climb, your ability to maintain and repair professional connections becomes critical
• Focus on transferrable skills — transferrable skills are what are valuable in the long-run, over skills that are highly-specific to an environment
• Consistently seek feedback — understanding how others (beyond your manager) perceive you reveals crucial growth areas
• Your thoughts, actions and influence need to become more strategic — as you move up the management ladder, you need to be thinking and acting further into the future and creating long-term visions that guide direction. While tactics and execution are important, they can’t drown out strategic actions