How to reach new career heights

There is an amazing time in your career when your professional hopes and dreams begin to feel not just possible, but achievable.?

It’s the moment you find yourself wanting a promotion.

Or wanting to lead a project.

Or wanting to break into the C-Suite.?

These opportunities can suddenly feel so close… And then so far away.

Because you realise that what you did to get to this stage of your career, may not be what it takes to get to the next stage.?

If you have grand ambitions in your career but they’re feeling just out of reach, here are three things you can do to give yourself the best shot of breaking through.?

Understand your internal pathways

The higher you go in an organisation, the fewer positions there’ll be above you.?

This is good news and bad news.

The bad news is that your options will become more limited and more competitive.?

The good news is that you can clearly understand your prospects and what is required to obtain them.?

This means it’s very important to understand the actual positions that you have a real shot at getting.?

Don’t be general. Get specific.

What actually needs to happen for you to get a particular role??

What results do you need to deliver, and under what conditions, in order to advance??

How could each pathway play out??

Once you clearly identify your options, you must seek the support of key decision-makers and leaders who will help you carve the right path.?

More importantly, if you can’t identify viable internal pathways or your advancement is unrealistic, you should focus on external options - because you’ve essentially determined that more time on your current path won’t serve you.?

Prime yourself to be approached

There’s a cool thing that happens when people see you as a solution to their problem - they will seek you out and involve you much earlier in the recruitment process.?

Before this point in your career, you may have only been able to agree to terms outlined in a job description.

But now, you can begin negotiations with terms that are important to you.?

And it gets better.?

Instead of reviewing job descriptions, you may be able to write your own.?

You see, when you gain a valuable level of industry knowledge and experience, you may be approached for a particular role that’s intended to solve a certain problem.?

But if you believe this role is poorly defined and won’t produce the intended results, then your opinion could be valued enough for you to describe what will actually work.?

Imagine getting to a point in your career when you don’t just choose the roles you want, but you get to write your job specs too??

So when you start to make a name for yourself in your industry, don’t be surprised if people start approaching you with interesting opportunities.

And if you’re not widely known, it’s important to consider why that’s so and how interesting opportunities will find you.

Close your gaps now

They say that success leaves a trail, and this is particularly evident with people who’ve achieved the higher positions you’re aspiring towards.?

To take your career to new heights, it will serve you to study those that have come before you and identify how they’ve set themselves apart.?

Then with any gaps you spot in your career, you should do what you can to close them.?

This could involve gaining new experiences, like positions across departments or markets.?

It could involve accessing new networks, like joining an industry body or club.

It could involve new qualifications, like completing a Company Directors Course.?

It could even mean rotations to develop new skills, like leadership or financial management.?

While every person’s career path will be different, there will be some signposts that top leaders have followed (which you should too, right now).

Thanks for reading to the end of this article!

If you're keen to Advance Your Career in 2024, please enjoy my online course which will help you:

1. Get clear on what you want
2. Get the job you want
3. Get paid what you’re worth
4. Set yourself up for future success

Go for it!