We all have dreams that we tell very few people about. It is much more important to realize them than to talk about them with many people. In a professional context, quite a few people dream of moving up into management and some even into top management. However, many candidates are unaware, or only partially aware, of what this means for them in plain language, e.g. which conditions they are allowed to fulfill and which topics are in fact irrelevant. New rules of the game apply for this promotion, which you should know in order to be successful. At this point, I also like to talk about your “inner career”, but more on that later.
Your current focus:
You have certainly worked hard and hard over the last few years to get to this position, such as Senior Manager or Senior Principal Consultant. You have fully dedicated yourself to your mission and worked your way up. Your professional expertise has reached its peak and you are wondering what to do next. What do you need to do to take the next big step?
Your current focus was on:
- your professional development
- Initial experience in the disciplinary management of teams
- the expansion of your skills in PreSales
- Customer service
So far, so good – but if you want to make a big leap, new rules apply. You should know that now!
Your new focus:
Last week, I spoke to a team leader at a consulting firm who wanted to apply for the position of Partner, or rather enter the race with me. What struck me immediately in this conversation was that
- he has the mindset of a team leader.
- he believed he would not be loyal to his current employer if he broke the “rules”.
This raised the question of what the “rules” are and who set them up.
Let’s get straight to the point: it’s absolutely fine to have the mindset of a team leader, but you can change it, otherwise you won’t get to the new level. And this is how it can work:
- Sit on the other side of the table and imagine what the owner of a company will expect from a future partner.
- These points will become your new mantra and your attitude will automatically change. You can’t stop it – if you want to.
For example, partners and directors are expected to
- they bring a team with them.
- they activate and utilize all their existing customer contacts.
- they have a clear vision for the topic or area they want to or will be responsible for.
- the development of a business case is a matter of course.
- they glow with motivation – because you don’t have to motivate a partner, they can do it themselves.
Can you follow this expectation?
Let’s take a quick look at the “rules”. The rule is: don’t take any employees with you, because that’s not loyal to your current employer.
You already realize that you won’t get any applause for your resignation – with or without a team move. That doesn’t matter. So don’t stick to rules that simply don’t exist.
Your “inner career”:
When I became Managing Director of a management consultancy, the owner invited me to dinner twice – once alone and once with my wife. This meeting was not about business, but about life. My attitude to life, my behavior towards myself and my wife, and much more. At the time, I was still wounded and didn’t attach much importance to it. But today I know that these meetings were more important than my presentation to his management team.
What was it really about?
What’s the point for the owner if he hires a new managing director who is extremely good professionally, but has strong human deficits? His employees are more likely to follow a “personality” than a technical expert, don’t we all agree on that?
Think about why Oliver Kahn was dismissed as CEO of FC Bayern.
He certainly didn’t lack soccer know-how, did he?
You want to begin to understand that you can and should also have a life outside of your profession, because personal development takes place in parallel to your career. The development of your “inner career” is at least as important as your professional career – if not more essential.