Five steps to navigate from middle management to senior management
You’re good at what you do. You’ve worked hard, you proved yourself and got to your current position. You are in a middle management role and are now looking to get into the esteemed senior management levels. The first thing you need to realize is that ‘what got you here, will not take you to the next level’ (in the words of Marshall Goldsmith). The way you show up, how you showcase your work and how you network, needs to change/get refined.
Here are 5 aspects you need to focus on in order to get ready for senior management roles:
1) Make yourself visible:
In order to get considered for senior leadership roles, you need to be ‘seen’ as leadership material. You need to be recognized for your leadership potential. Your name should be ‘top-of-mind’ recall for key decision makers. If you are doing great work, yet most people who matter, don’t know you, it doesn’t help your chances. Here’s what you can do to make yourself and your work visible.
Personal branding
When people think about you, what would you want them to associate with you? That’s where Personal branding comes in. Decide what you want to be known ‘for’ and ‘as’ and go about creating it. Read my blog ‘Get started with personal branding’ at https://medium.com/@umarani.k/get-started-on-personal-branding-94761efc052c for a structured approach to personal branding. Don’t limit your personal branding efforts to your organization alone. Strive to create a brand in your field or industry too.
Make your work visible
Humility is a great virtue, but it shouldn’t stop your from highlighting your achievements in appropriate forums. Let your work do the talking, but create a stage for your work to get attention. Discuss your work with leaders who matter. Keep an elevator pitch ready to showcase your work within your network. And volunteer for high-impact projects to showcase your skills.
Build a strong network
The more the number of people who know you and can vouch for you, the greater are your chances at success. It is critical to build a strong network within your firm and outside within your industry. Make sure that atleast 10% of your network represents deep, meaningful relationships and do network with senior people too.
Take initiative
Volunteer for high-impact projects and strategic initiatives at organization level. This will bring you visibility at senior leadership levels, help you build a cross-functional network and get you valuable exposure to organizational priorities and strategic plans.
2) Work on your ‘inner’ self
As you prepare to take on senior roles, you need to have a strong inner core. This will help you control your emotions and stay composed in the face of challenges. It will also give you additional insights on distinctive strengths that you can leverage to create a competitive advantage. Identifying your mental blocks can open up new avenues for growth and development.
Self-awareness
We are at the core of everything that happens around us. Our strengths and weaknesses determine what we are likely to succeed at. Our emotional construct determines how we perceive things and incidents and our composure determines how we react to situations. Investing time in understanding ourselves pays rich dividends. Go ahead and get to know yourself better.
Mental blocks
As you discover yourself, you will realize that your conditioning often creates roadblocks. Attitudes, behaviours and beliefs acquired over time, tend to solidify into mental blocks. It is critical to assess yourself and identify such blocks. Once you figure out what is impeding your progress, you can put in effort to ‘un-block’ yourself and pave a smoother path to success.
Upskilling
There is literally no end to learning. And in current times, this applies even more. Considering the unprecedented pace of change across industries in the digital era, upskilling is no more a luxury. It is now a necessity for survival and growth. A good understanding of industry trends, market changes and advances in your field, will set you up for growth and establish you as a leader.
3) Display self-confidence
A self-confident person tends to invoke trust in others. In order to move to the executive level, you need to exhibit self-confidence at a higher level. You need to show confidence in tacking larger and more challenging projects, speak to larger audiences and speak up in executive forums. This self-confidence needs to manifest itself in the way you present yourself, the way you speak and in the way you work.
Enhance the way you present yourself
The way you present yourself, says a lot about your potential. The key components of your presence are your communication skills, the way you dress, your posture and your behaviour with others. Constantly work on enhancing your communication skills. Take every opportunity to address large and varied audiences and speak up in large forums as this helps instil confidence.
Also, focus on your posture and dressing style. Stand tall and dress like you are already in senior leadership and that will enhance your image. Finally, ensure that you are at your best behaviour all the time. True leaders are not only bold and confident, but are also kind, empathetic and considerate. The more you practice these traits, the sooner they begin to come to you naturally.
Get diversity in experience
In order to become a strong leader, you need to have both depth and breadth in your field. Make sure to take up diverse roles and projects as it will enhance your learning and give you greater exposure. With such exposure, comes confidence that equips you to deal with all aspects of your work. If it is not possible to get access to some aspects of your field, learn about these aspects through reading and discussions.
Move out of your comfort zone
True self-confidence comes from learning to deal with discomfort and managing to handle yourself in situations where you are out of your comfort zone. When you move out of your comfort zone, you need to learn new skills in order to survive. Such situations come with a high probability of failure and you need to be able to deal wit failure, learn the lesson and emerge stringer from the experience. When you do this over and over again, you emerge stronger and can deal with any situation confidently.
4) Strengthen your inner circle
You may have heard the saying — ‘It gets lonely at the top’. As you climb the career ladder, there is greater responsibility, you are more visible, you are constantly in the limelight and this can lead to greater pressure. Hence it is imperative create an inner circle that can support and motivate you as your reach for greater heights.
Find a mentor
As you traverse unchartered territories, it helps to hear from someone who is an expert in the area. Someone who has walked a similar path and can guide you on your journey. Find a mentor who can be your first port of call when you need advice. A mentor can guide you on the skills you need to acquire, the strengths you need to leverage and the experience you need to gather.
Find a sponsor
While a mentor talks to you, a sponsor talks about you. A sponsor is usually a senior leader with influence, who recognises your potential and values your contribution. Keep the sponsor updated about your career objectives, the progress you’ve made and your priorities. The sponsor can identify the right growth opportunities for you and can suggest your candidature for such roles.
Engage a coach
You may have heard the phrase ‘What got you here wont get you there’ by Marshall Goldsmith. This applies so well in the current context. There are many behaviours and attitudes that you need to change/acquire in order to get to senior leadership levels. You need to hone some of your existing skills, acquire new ones, identify and overcome mental bocks, revalidate your belief, overcome fear of failure and develop courage. Some of these can be arduous exercises and it helps to have a coach who understands you, helps you formulate strategies, keeps you honest and cheers you through the journey.
Create a team of trusted confidantes
When you’re aiming for a coveted position, the journey is usually not easy. There will be moments of disappointment, fear, failure and dejection, before you start winning. Through these ups and downs, you need a trusted set of friends and colleagues to keep you grounded. Such a team can help you make courageous moves, motivate you to act on your plans and cheer you up when you face disappointment.
5) Find time for yourself
While they come with immense pride, responsibility and benefits, senior roles entail tough decisions, hard work and a hectic schedule. This can lead to burnout. Hence, it is important to find time for yourself, to relax and rejuvenate, so that you can bounce back fully energised.
Pursue a hobby
If you don’t already have a hobby, do find one and make time to pursue it. If this is something that involves time with family or friends, it is even better. It could be music, art, dance, photography, sports or anything that catches your fancy and gets your creative juices flowing.
Make time for exercise
Exercise not only enhances physical fitness, but also energises and refreshes you. Find time to work out at a gym, join a yoga or zumba class or just make time to run or walk everyday. Most successful leaders found time to exercise, despite their impossible schedules. This also goes to show their discipline.
Read everyday
Reading is known to have benefits on emotional well-being, intelligence and communication skills. So, make time to read. And while you read books/articles associated with your field, do read fiction too, as it enhances creativity.
Work on these aspects consistently while performing your best work, and you will be well on your way to senior leadership levels. And if you ever get tired or disheartened, let this quote inspire you -
“Success isn’t always about greatness. Its about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come” — Dwayne Johnson
