“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” – Thomas Jefferson
A reader recently submitted a question that I promised to address in an upcoming post:
“What are strategies to move up the middle management ladder within an organization?”
This question is a BIG one. So much to unpack here and the strategies that would be effective in one organization could honestly be ineffective in another. I will not claim to be an expert in this area; however, I can pull from my own experiences and those that I have witnessed with colleagues and friends. The strategies I can share are broad, perhaps general but can be effective both in corporate organizations and in life.
- Organize your priorities. Determine your passion and communicate it consistently and clearly to those you work with and report to. What do you want? What are your goals? What work are you willing to do in order to achieve it?
- Be a leader. Even if you are not a manager already or want to take on more; you have to be perceived as a leader. Volunteer for organizations or working teams within your company and take the lead. On internal calls, offer to be the lead and run the call. Any opportunity you can take to be the lead, do it!
- Find your sponsors. A sponsor recognizes your unique capabilities among your peers and believes in your potential. Seek out managers and executives above you that will represent you in a meeting that you are not invited to. Connect and collaborate with those that can attest to your talents to others, specifically those that are in a position to offer you a new opportunity.
- Dress for the job that you want. In a world of increasingly casual work attire, there is still a place to present yourself in meetings and the office in respectful attire that clearly states who you are and what you want.
- Actively seek feedback. There is a quote that says, “Feedback turns good into better and better into best.” The secret to good feedback when you are working to improve on your skillset and progress your career is to seek it out from people that you respect. Individuals who represent themselves in the workplace in a way that you admire. People that motivate you to be better and do more.
- Bring solutions and suggestions to the table. This one was covered in a previous post but is incredibly important for individuals that want to progress their career. Managers solve problems, they make decisions and take action. Even if you are not currently in a position to make the final decision on your own, you are always in a position to suggest a solution and present it to your manager for approval.
- Actively pursue an audience with the decision makers. This one can take on many forms. Inviting the decision makers to your most important and well prepared for meetings. Seeking out decision makers in the office or at company events to introduce yourself and make LIGHT conversation. Finally, when the opportunity presents itself, do what the decision makers do. If there is an R&R event and you can choose between activities, choose the one that the decision makers will do. (In my case, I always play golf instead of going to the spa.) When at company receptions, do NOT stay in your comfortable group, work the room and seek out an introduction to all of the decision makers.
AND FINALLY…..
- Be willing to leave. How and when individuals progress into and through middle management is always company dependent. What one company values as a level of experience is not defined equally by another company. Therefore, if you are stuck and your company is unwilling to invest in your progression, it is time to consider opportunities outside of your current corporation. There are very few executives that have achieved their positions by just staying with one company.
The Heart of the Middle 