The Larsen Group

1. Career progression does not necessarily mean promotion; in fact, some of the best moves are at your current level – lateral assignments within your same function or major program to broaden your perspectives of the organization and its products, services, customers and the associated employees’ roles.

          Action:  Be open to and search out moves that broaden your perspectives, company network and develope new skills.

2. Sometimes it is very hard to “go back” and pick up a skill or set of perspectives missed due to advancement, the skipping of which can hurt you in the long run.

           Action:  Take the lead of those before you.  Fill your toolbox with real experiences.  Get on the front lines.

3. Career advancement can be more about “leading and living across”, in particular given these days of virtual organizations, matrices and teams, as opposed to just managing up and down.

          Action:   Special projects to tackle a critical business issue, committees to serve the community on behalf of the firm, or process improvement initiatives with peers build interaction muscle.

4. If your assignments have been in a single function, consider a cross-functional move; if within one major program or business unit, go cross-program or at minimum, take on a new role within the same program.

5. Some of the most valuable players in an organization often speak the language of both internal and external customers.

6. Special two year, multiple assignment rotations programs can be a great investment for the future, provided the work is “real work” with deliverables, and not perceived as just passive training.   Be wary of sponsorship support and the off-boarding process. 

           Action:  Consider how to develop a custom program with a mentor, sponsor, and/or supervisor, unique to your  learning needs and  interests – in-job expansion with investment value to your department.

7. Expatriate assignments to “Go Global” or go beyond the classical lines of an organization are extraordinary for the right candidate at the right time. 

           Action:  Assess carefully your lifelines while being potentially out-of-sight.  The repatriation process needs to be explicit on the outbound.

8. When attending company meetings and functions, take the opportunity to get to know people from other functions, departments, roles.  Expand and nuture your internal network whenever you can.  Brokers have the inside edge on future trends and opportunities.

           Action:  “Interview” new colleagues as if you were writing a report on your company’s career opportunities, with the added question of “how could I help to make your job easier?”

9. Annually revisit and step up your resume, education and training plan

          Action:  Are you poised ready for an opportunity when it appears?

10. Consider changing your question from “what opportunities are there in my company that I could benefit from?" to “what opportunity could I CREATE for the company, and thus contribute in new ways? What is my unique value proposition?”

11. What built the careers of the past and present, may be obsolete in the not-so-distant future.  Remember – when someone offers advice, they are likely 50% speaking (or writing!) to themselves to confirm success or rethinking a choice, failure and learning experience.