How to move up to management?

[sports_brah]

Per the title, just curious how to scrabble up the Corporate ladder? I'm thinking a possible career change at some point to doing my own thing, but for now I might as well push forward...

I've got 3 years experience in a couple roles, exceeded expectations, have been a supervisor of a number of analysts (IB) etc.

But there seems to be a chasm of getting to the VP/Director/higher level without having to work a serious grind?

Anyone been in the same boat? Does it call for a jump to another place? Do I need to be pushing certain areas more?

It seems that once you get to VP level (and quick enough, I don't want to be just hitting VP at 30 etc) places invest a lot more in you, and it seems to be a self fulfilling prophecy after that...

So any hints and tips?

 

[randomshenans]

Wait, so you see hitting a VP at 30 too late?

 

[Slam62]

You sound ideal management material, you'll get a tap on the shoulder soon.

 

[AHarvey]

Wow...this has to be a troll post surely??

 

[Rroff]

Unless the company sees you as more than normally desirable in a higher role you will almost certainly have to move to another company to get a leg up these days - for one they just see as you moving up as them having to then fill your old role as well - especially if you have a lot of experience in that role they won't have a lot of motivation to move you.

 

[tom_e]

But there seems to be a chasm of getting to the VP/Director/higher level without having to work a serious grind?

You've got to put the effort in to get the rewards and it doesn't get any less of a grind once you reach those levels. If anything it's worse.

 

[randomshenans]

3 years in a role means you just need the "secret" handshake and you're in. Straight to VP. I thought everyone knew this? Like Stone Masons?

 

[Rroff]

3 years in a role means you just need the "secret" handshake and you're in. Straight to VP. I thought everyone knew this? Like Stone Masons?

You do realise that posting about it on the internets = instant demotion?

 

[Freefaller]

You need to work hard, and put in the serious grind. And at 30, whilst you may have some good work/life experience, a reason why some of the better bigger hitters are a bit older is that they have more experience.

If you're committed and willing to put the work in you'll get there. Maybe some training or an MBA or some form of qualification can help you get some extra skills to help you exploit business opportunities to make you stand out more or achieve more - but that's not a guarantee.

Some people are lucky and don't have to work hard to do well, but they are the exception to the rule.

 

[Housey]

Why do you want to be a manager, what's the end game?

More money?
More control?
More progression from VP forward?
More say in the future direction of the business?
More impressive job title on LinkedIn for your next move?

 

[sports_brah]

Wait, so you see hitting a VP at 30 too late?

What's wrong with wanting to push on ahead? I'm proving more than capable at the moment, and it's not like I'm aiming for VP as an end role?

Wow...this has to be a troll post surely??

Why?

You need to work hard, and put in the serious grind. And at 30, whilst you may have some good work/life experience, a reason why some of the better bigger hitters are a bit older is that they have more experience.

If you're committed and willing to put the work in you'll get there. Maybe some training or an MBA or some form of qualification can help you get some extra skills to help you exploit business opportunities to make you stand out more or achieve more - but that's not a guarantee.

Some people are lucky and don't have to work hard to do well, but they are the exception to the rule.

MBA is a good shout, I've tentatively looked at it, but I'm questioning how to best make the most of it. I'm finishing my CFA at the moment which with the work hours is taking the time..

I get the thing with age, frankly people defer to it at a certain level, and I know I'll get there with age. I'm not looking to be MD/SVP instantly, I just want to make sure I'm on the right path. I've started networking in the past year and have some good contacts and will be pushing further with this line. I reckon the thing about moving might have to be done. If I can make one good leap forward (uh oh Mao) then I can prove myself in a higher role rather than taking each step of the ladder individually..

Why do you want to be a manager, what's the end game?

More money?
More control?
More progression from VP forward?
More say in the future direction of the business?
More impressive job title on LinkedIn for your next move?

Money is always interesting, end money in this industry is exceptional and whilst I'm doing well at the moment, money is always good. A way of keeping score...(I don't actually want for many material things at all..)

I definitely want more progression, far beyond VP if my talent/effort/luck takes me that far. I'm very interested in certain areas of strategy and have my own ideas on how things can be done to shape the future. Would be interesting and I think I could thrive even more if I could actually make key business decisions.

Also an element of self preservation, the world is moving very rapidly, and I want to make the decisions which WILL be affecting other people, rather than be affected.

Don't really care about titles/linkedin, except to help me move up..

 

[swillsy]

Aim high always but be realistic when talking to your peers.

My advise is work hard and put the hours in when necessary, be positive and have a history of success on projects, especially around saving/making money.

 

[Freefaller]

MBA is a massive commitment, and whilst it won't "open doors" it will provide a good network, and certainly can help provide a broader set of skills for more strategic management discipline if that's what you're after.

Get a mentor. Someone you have a huge amount of respect for, someone you feel you could aspire to be, to a certain extent.

You network a lot it seems, perhaps be a speaker at some events? Get yourself seen as the "go to" person for your industry/company etc... Be seen, and remembered for the right reasons.

Seek out more responsibility pro-actively at work. Start recording success stories, and prepare your "elevator pitch" about yourself and what you have delivered for the company. IF ever you bump into someone you want to quickly become relevant to, having a compelling story is key.

You've got to push yourself, and it will be tough and tiring, but if you want it, you can do it

Story tell over presenting, it's more interesting, and you can throw in some clever poignant rhetoric.

Good luck!

 

[randomshenans]

I'd echo the above really. As for my previous comments, I have no issue with aiming high. In fact, I was in the very same position of what I wanted... (dif industries etc, but in terms of aiming for the moon, still do).
It just came across cocky and read poorly. Like you wanted the moon, but it reads like you're not even a trained astronaut.

Network is a lot, I'd agree with FF. I don't know about your industry and the value of an MBA, so can't directly comment with experience on that, but what I would say is only do it if you know it'll add value and get you to that next point. If it's not, spend that time and effort working on things that will. Put yourself out there and build up that experience. Being visible is a good way, as FF also said, which to do well is really time consuming AND you have to make sure you have the experience to back up what you're saying, too. No use having 3yrs exp in X position and then be telling people how to do things, to people doing it years, without the experience of doing those things to back it up. It's all about credibility, so you need to build yours in whatever way you can.

 

[AHarvey]

Why?

Because you're asking about how to get a VP role with a whopping 3 years experience.

You give the impression that you think there is another way to get there because "there seems to be a chasm of getting to the VP/Director/higher level without having to work a serious grind" and before you're 30...

As well as reading your response it seems you want a VP+ position so you can boss people around and act like the big I am in your BMW and your power suit. Everything here screams of bad managers I've had in the past that come in with their idea's of how it should be done, which has been tried before and failed, and despite being told so push their regurgitated ideas through the system again.

If you really want to make a top senior position, listen to people, see through the BS, when you speak get straight to the point and learn how to get the best out of people. Learn to be a leader, not a manager. Don't go in telling them how it should be done, learn to build from those that have been doing the job, those that know how it works, where the problems lie and how things can be improved.

 

[Mulder]

What area of IB are you in? In most banks progression is fairly straightforward up until director, the key being to not get fired. Surprised you think making VP at 30 is not a good achievement, the maths doesn't really support your argument.

 

[sports_brah]

Aim high always but be realistic when talking to your peers.

My advise is work hard and put the hours in when necessary, be positive and have a history of success on projects, especially around saving/making money.

Projects is a good shout. I've lead a fair few already, with a specific focus on risk reduction/automation which also is good at headlining cost savings (I've studied Six Sigma extensively..)

The hours is also a good shout, unfortunately it's expected as it is haha. Still I'm always there and it has been noted. Work the weekends for projects when needed etc.

MBA is a massive commitment, and whilst it won't "open doors" it will provide a good network, and certainly can help provide a broader set of skills for more strategic management discipline if that's what you're after.

Get a mentor. Someone you have a huge amount of respect for, someone you feel you could aspire to be, to a certain extent.

You network a lot it seems, perhaps be a speaker at some events? Get yourself seen as the "go to" person for your industry/company etc... Be seen, and remembered for the right reasons.

Seek out more responsibility pro-actively at work. Start recording success stories, and prepare your "elevator pitch" about yourself and what you have delivered for the company. IF ever you bump into someone you want to quickly become relevant to, having a compelling story is key.

You've got to push yourself, and it will be tough and tiring, but if you want it, you can do it

Story tell over presenting, it's more interesting, and you can throw in some clever poignant rhetoric.

Good luck!

MBA is a good call, but I feel that it's something that I would probably benefit when I'm more senior to be able to network and draw upon experiences which will allow me to make more of a jump.

Mentor is a huge deal. I totally agree with that, and I credit with being made a senior before anyone else. Really helps cut over the office ****** and focus activities on what gives value to yourself and not just the business...Got one external contact I'm trying to develop, he is at the absolute top, so a holistic angle would be interesting especially on market developments.

Elevator pitch is important...could have done with one recently. Will def look into it. How to sum my value up in 30 secs haha.

Sounds to me like you're on the same grind?

I'd echo the above really. As for my previous comments, I have no issue with aiming high. In fact, I was in the very same position of what I wanted... (dif industries etc, but in terms of aiming for the moon, still do).
It just came across cocky and read poorly. Like you wanted the moon, but it reads like you're not even a trained astronaut.

Network is a lot, I'd agree with FF. I don't know about your industry and the value of an MBA, so can't directly comment with experience on that, but what I would say is only do it if you know it'll add value and get you to that next point. If it's not, spend that time and effort working on things that will. Put yourself out there and build up that experience. Being visible is a good way, as FF also said, which to do well is really time consuming AND you have to make sure you have the experience to back up what you're saying, too. No use having 3yrs exp in X position and then be telling people how to do things, to people doing it years, without the experience of doing those things to back it up. It's all about credibility, so you need to build yours in whatever way you can.

Apologies, wrote it up last night on a whim (after a very long day..) so probably didn't come across right so understand it seems a bit bolshie. Also didn't state that I've got a few years til 30 so will have considerably more experience by then!

Because you're asking about how to get a VP role with a whopping 3 years experience.

You give the impression that you think there is another way to get there because "there seems to be a chasm of getting to the VP/Director/higher level without having to work a serious grind" and before you're 30...

As well as reading your response it seems you want a VP+ position so you can boss people around and act like the big I am in your BMW and your power suit. Everything here screams of bad managers I've had in the past that come in with their idea's of how it should be done, which has been tried before and failed, and despite being told so push their regurgitated ideas through the system again.

If you really want to make a top senior position, listen to people, see through the BS, when you speak get straight to the point and learn how to get the best out of people. Learn to be a leader, not a manager. Don't go in telling them how it should be done, learn to build from those that have been doing the job, those that know how it works, where the problems lie and how things can be improved.

Who says I was looking to make VP now? I'll have six years experience by then, and frankly that is more than enough experience..the one thing is certain, that if you don't move up at some point, it becomes accepted you will not. I've seen highly ambitious people move far quicker than other people. Even little things like having children/putting in extra hours/being flexible makes a huge difference. My question is how I can develop myself now, so I can make it quicker.

Seems a bit personal regarding the BMW and the power suit lol and more than a bit presumptuous. I was bought up with a lean outlook and I've delivered quite a lot for myself and my team. I give a lot of leeway to people and constantly ask advice on the team on how to improve things for the future. Easier to have a good team which has your back than one man it..Some of my analysts have considerable more experience than me, so why wouldn't I use it?

 

[D3K]

By all means aim high, but any company that puts a 30 year-old VP in front of me has a lot of proving to do.

If you really wanna climb high, bounce jobs. Staying in the same company means waiting for openings. Those positions are already available in other companies, go work for them.

 

[Freefaller]

MBA is a good call, but I feel that it's something that I would probably benefit when I'm more senior to be able to network and draw upon experiences which will allow me to make more of a jump.

Mentor is a huge deal. I totally agree with that, and I credit with being made a senior before anyone else. Really helps cut over the office ****** and focus activities on what gives value to yourself and not just the business...Got one external contact I'm trying to develop, he is at the absolute top, so a holistic angle would be interesting especially on market developments.

Elevator pitch is important...could have done with one recently. Will def look into it. How to sum my value up in 30 secs haha.

Sounds to me like you're on the same grind?

Well not necessarily, just been my ethos certainly in the environment I work in, the more relevant you become the more you are sought out for advice and are seen as a subject matter expert. Credibility is key, so making sure you deliver on your promises and the work you do.

I mentor someone about the same age/career aspirations as you, and are already very successful, but just need that little bit of coaching, and push to make them seen and heard and not just coast along. So I'm just sharing similar advice that I give them. I also lead by example, and this is generally how I behave.

 

[mid_gen]

Getting to VP is just a matter of putting in the hours, not ******* the wrong people off and being competent.

Getting beyond VP means playing politics and you only get one shot at it, fail and you're done.