Sideways - Career Advancement Through Lateral Movement
After landing your first job, the future may look like a steady, sometimes fast, ascent up the career ladder. We’re trained to focus on constant, upward mobility. But advancement isn’t always a direct climb to the mountaintop. Early- to mid- career positions provide opportunities for incremental growth and key skill-building through lateral movement – opportunities more difficult to land later.
Envision where you want to be in five years. What are your ideal positions? What knowledge, skills and abilities will be critical in that role? Do you need to learn how to manage people? Do you need to learn how to manage people? Do you need to learn how to manage specific budgets or programs? Most importantly, will your current position strengthen your competitiveness, or is there another role that will complement what you already bring to the workplace?
A few years ago, I was counseling a young professional who had been promoted the previous year, but not the current year. Promotions in some organizations are highly competitive, with the difference between candidates coming down to small factors in application packages. Landing a promotion two years in a row . . . statistically unlikely.
I ran through a series of questions about their mastery of competencies and communication of accomplishments (see earlier posts on the C.A.R.E. Model). It became clear that they were superficially focused on upward trajectory without building a strategy for enhancing competitiveness. This was the perfect opportunity for a self-assessment, exploring competitive positioning and building a candid picture of depth and breadth of skills and experience that questions assumptions.
There are several ways to accomplish a self-assessment such as:
comparing your experience to competencies in your field or industry;
asking trusted colleagues for feedback on your performance; or
meeting regularly with your manager for guidance during the year.
Self-assessment offers a baseline for determining what types of lateral moves can better position you for advancement.
What are some ways you’ve conducted a self-assessment? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
If you’re interested in exploring how to leverage lateral opportunities, you can learn more about a Career Reframe.