What do you do if you're a mid-career professional aiming for executive leadership?

To pursue a leadership role in your career as you reach the mid point it's essential to enhance your skill set and expand your network. Begin by taking on projects that push your abilities and introduce you to aspects of the business. Look for mentors and advocates, within your company who can offer guidance and support. Additionally consider advancing your education through courses or degrees aligned with your career aspirations. Cultivating a reputation both internally within your organization and across the industry is also crucial. Attend industry gatherings participate in discussions and share your perspectives on platforms such, as LinkedIn. Lastly actively seek feedback. Use it positively to foster growth.

If you're in real estate material procurement aiming for executive leadership, focus on enhancing your negotiation skills and building strong supplier relationships. Develop your team management abilities to lead effectively and learn strategies to handle high-pressure situations with composure. Showcasing your successful procurement strategies and staying updated on industry trends are also crucial. These efforts will demonstrate your readiness for an executive role.

What got you to where you are, definitely isn't going to get you to this next spot in your career, but here's what could help: 1. Mentors, sponsors and coaches will all help you grow your skills in different ways. Get one of each. 2. Soft skills are everything. can you quickly read a room, bring people together, understand what others want and how to connect the dots? if you can, great, building on these will accelerate your next play 3. people, people people - Microsoft is hyper-focused within on creating clarity and generating energy - and I loved it. It's so important to have the right leaders to work with (that's you too!) and be the person who brings the right people to the table to make the magic happen.

Be clear about the distinction between skill and competency, they are not the same, far from it. A further element is experience, for me that is demonstration of results delivery under several different circumstances, e.g. a start-up challenge for a new business line, a staff job in a central function or a front-line operation or marketing challenge. View each challenge you have as an opportunity to experience something new that will help build your leadership competencies. This latter is ultimately what will position you for further growth. Lastly be clear about why you are aiming for executive leadership, what does it make possible for the company and for you. Be driven by purpose not trappings of senior positions.

In my experience, you need to cross the boundaries you set for the business and deliverables. Take initiatives apart from your regular tasks and keep you leadership involved in discussions and suggestions. Implement them which will showcase that you challenge yourself to reach higher goals and share the achievements.

It's not about who you know, it's about who knows you. Or so they say. Build authentic connections, with care and honesty, and create relationships based on mutual support and trust. And then don't limit yourself to your current environment, or group, seek people that can inspire you, make you better and/or are where you want to be.

To have high-quality and smart networking, you should review your short-term and long-term objectives in your career development plan. From there, define your networking objective, and what you want to have from your network. For instance, you would like to have mentors and coaches, or people who can share with you job opportunities, etc. This will help you build an appropriate networking approach to achieve your goals and ensure we do not miss any opportunity to enhance your network effectively. If you do not have a strong passion for developing your leadership skills, you may not recognize John Maxwell when he sits next to you in the park.

To excel in leadership roles, stay current in your field by attending workshops, attending conferences, and online courses. Develop leadership skills like communication, strategic thinking, and team building. Connect with successful leaders for guidance and support. Expand your network through networking events and social media platforms. Take on challenges outside your comfort zone to showcase your leadership skills. Establish a personal brand through blog posts, speaking engagements, and industry publications. Pursue further education to deepen your expertise. Be proactive in seeking leadership opportunities and seek feedback to improve. Stay resilient and persistent, as executive leadership roles can be competitive and challenging.

Networking is the most powerful tool that one can use to advance in its career. Networking doesn't mean having a bunch of business cards but making connections with high quality individuals that will help you advance in your goals. Remember the network which you will build will determine your worth in the later stages of your life.

Harvey MacKay said it best: "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty". With LinkedIn you can build a high quality network that will smooth the path to executive advancement. With the numerous LinkedIn gurus on the platform and their respective courses, learning how to build such a network is an easy process!! But start...NOW!

Building a personal brand is akin to creating a unique signature style in leadership. It's not just about being visible on social media or speaking at events, it's about consistently demonstrating your values and strengths in every interaction. Remember, your personal brand is your promise to your team and the organization. It's what makes you, YOU! ??

The most important brand you will ever build is your own. I wish I knew this earlier in my career. Instead, most of us focus our entire career building someone else’s brand or company. We wear the labels and brands for companies we don’t own. Your personal brand is the one that will remain with you for the rest or your life. You build it in small and big ways: - Choosing to speak up in meetings - Taking ownership of the work you do and not letting other people take credit for your work - Advocating for yourself - Taking on challenging products at work - Being the person people go to when they want to get things done - Getting comfortable with public speaking - Thought leadership on platforms important in your field, eg LinkedIn

A strong personal brand positions you as a thought leader in your industry. By showcasing your expertise, experience, and values, you build visibility and credibility that gets you noticed within and outside of the organisation. This not only makes you stand out from the competition but also demonstrates proactiveness, communication skills, and a commitment to continuous learning - all essential qualities for executive leaders.

Building a person brand is a unique style of making your name known to the world. To build it you should start working on it asap but remember that it will not happen in one day but some day it will happen so be patient.

This is where a mentor can play a significant role! A mentor can: #1. Create Networking Opportunities: Introductions from a mentor can provide valuable connections that can lead to executive opportunities and exposure within an industry. #2. Provide Personalized Guidance and Feedback: A mentor can offer personalized advice and constructive feedback based on the mentee's specific strengths, weaknesses, and career goals. This can help the mentee identify areas for improvement and develop the skills and qualities needed to become an effective executive.

I agree with seeking feedback as a tool for growth. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Constructive criticism from superiors, colleagues and subordinates at your workplace can help you refine the necessary skills you have not been able to hone effectively. However, it is crucial to receive feedback with an open and objective mind, without any form of personal bias to clearly understand the feedback and take a right step in the right direction.

Asking for feedback is such an underrated tool to advance your career. Let me clarify, ask for feedback but also actively work on making yourself better based on that feedback. In my career, the direct reports that I wanted to help the most were the ones that were proactive with their career. They didn’t take feedback personally. They saw it for it was: their manager coaching them to be better at their job. If you’re looking to leverage feedback effectively: - Be proactive - Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re not sure - Know what success looks like at the end for your manager and company - Lead from the front, middle and back - Don’t take feedback personally. See them as course corrections - Work on getting better daily -

Feedback is the most important thing that can help you to grow in your career as it helps to understand your draw back and solutions to overcome it. Feedback can be given by any person who knows you.

Negative and positive - both feedback should be taken. Negative feedback can motivate to rectify the deviation and improve the performance and positive will help to encourage to work harder and smarter.

Identify experiences that will help you understand the business better and give you more visibility. Position yourself as a leader and cultivate an enterprise mindset. Develop relationships across the organization and be a good team mate.

In my early years, I chased after the next promotion/ the next title and I wish I hadn't. Forget chasing titles - prioritize building a strategic plan: ? Analyze your current personal value proposition and envision your ideal future state. ? Identify the key skills and experiences required and map out your journey with stretch projects, coaching, and skill-building. ? Embrace calculated risks, nurturing valuable connections and building credibility along the way. ? Share your vision and rally others to support your leadership aspirations - this could mean finding a mentor or increasing your cross-functional visibility and collaboration.

Be strategic about projects and assignments you take on that are outside of your current job descriptions. Even if they are voluntary, if gives you the opportunity to grow your skills, demonstrate leadership or give you exposure, its time well spent. Seek to align with leaders that will provide you with stretch assignments or that emulate the leader you would like to become. Communicate with your direct supervisor and be clear about your aspirations and time based goals to reach your promotional position.

One of the initial steps is conducting a gap analysis. Assess your current position and determine where you aim to be. Recognize and strengthen the skills, knowledge, and experiences you are proficient in, while also prioritizing the development of new ones. The path to senior or executive leadership often requires continuous learning. Explore formal education (e.g., an MBA or specific certification) or informal learning (e.g., industry seminars). Regularly (re)evaluate and adapt your strategy, as career trajectories are often fluid. Be ready to alter your plans in response to emerging opportunities or shifts within the industry. Finally, be prepared for opportunities, as strategic career moves involve timing and readiness.

Communicate your intention! Say it out loud, plant the seeds, ask for advice, and let the people around you know your goal. This will help contribute to new connections, awareness, and a pathway.

One of the things I've found helpful is to always adapt and be patient don't rush take it step by step also importantly try to let your work do the talking. As leading by example.

As a mid-career professional pursuing executive leadership, resilience is critical to your success. The journey to the top is typically fraught with difficulties and failures, so maintaining a good attitude is vital. Learn from your mistakes and be adaptive to changing situations. This resilience not only helps you overcome problems, but it also demonstrates your ability to lead under pressure, which is a highly desired quality in executive positions. By exhibiting resilience, you demonstrate your readiness for senior leadership responsibilities and position yourself as a strong contender for growth.

One additional practical concept is to actively seek stretch assignments or projects that push your boundaries and expand your skill set. These opportunities allow you to demonstrate your potential for executive leadership by taking on challenges beyond your current role. Personally, I volunteered to lead a cross-functional project aimed at streamlining our company's customer service processes. This experience not only showcased my ability to drive change but also provided invaluable insights into strategic decision-making and stakeholder management at an executive level.

Aiming for executive leadership requires you to be self motivated and courageous. These skills are not deployed by just talking about them but proving you have them by displaying great leadership in time of challenges. Being resilient communicates your strong will and courage to your company leadership. It helps them see that you truly have what it takes.

Find a mentor. Someone who is a strong leader, and ask them to help guide you and to be a resource. I've never found a good leader that wasn't willing to give me some of their time and energy to make me a better leader.

It is important to define clear and specific career goals. Take the time to identify what you want to achieve in your career. Are you aiming for a specific executive role? Do you have a timeline in mind? By setting clear objectives, you create a roadmap that guides your actions and decisions moving forward.

Be sure this is your path, talk to people that are in the roles that you aim to take, shadow them and look if their day-to-day is how you imagine it. Make your intentions clear to your manager, search for opportunities to stretch yourself. Understand that certain skills that got you were you are today may not be useful to get you where you want to go. Do a full SWOT analysis of your current skills, attitudes and habits vs. that future role.