An Executive Dilemma
Recently I met with a Senior Director of Product in a Fortune 50 company who has been frustrated with not getting promoted to the VP level. They told me they had all the right connections because they had done a good job networking in their 4 years at the company. They also reported their team was going above and beyond on all their remits. Further, two of their peers had been promoted in the last 6 months, so they said, “this isn’t a matter of leaders not getting promoted around here.” I assured this leader that they were not alone – that I see this scenario with other execs I work with. I also applauded their emphasis on networking and focusing on those who could sponsor their promotion process.
In our session, I continued to listen and asked more clarifying questions about what strengths they bring to the table, and all that they had done thus far to get promoted. I had some ideas about what they could consider in terms of areas of opportunities but wanted to hear more from them first.
I asked a more leading question to start some brainstorming: “What do YOU think is missing here? Is it you or the system, or both?”
They said: “Well the easy answer is, ‘yes, it’s the system, dammit’……. maybe it’s a bit of that. But I want to look at what I am doing. While I have these great relationships and am well known throughout the company, I just don’t have the influence I would like.”
I had a few routes to choose from here and decided to go down the “Strategic Influence” one. “What would it look like if you had more influence, particularly STRATEGIC influence?” I asked.
They said: “My boss would be definitely picking me and my org for more exciting stuff…. And really, the more that I think about it, I actually would be thinking up more kick ass stuff, right?”
“Exactly! Yes, agree, focusing on what is next or even “next, next” makes a lot of sense. I think it’s the best way to showcase your stewardship AND it will help with your promotion.”
They said: “I agree, but it’s so hard to find the time to go far and deep.”
I added: “I know, I get it. This is what we will continue to focus on – Strategic Influence. Here’s another way to look at it: ‘When was the last time you told your boss something they didn’t know?’ 😊
They smiled: “Bingo.”
