Does that fact change with the changing economy? With the changing fortunes of your employer? Your field? With attitudes toward your Experience? Education? Age? Gender? Race? Sexuality? Appearance? Physical challenges? Family life? Employment status? Achievements? Mistakes?
Does that fact change with the changing economy? With the changing fortunes of your employer? Your field? With attitudes toward your Experience? Education? Age? Gender? Race? Sexuality? Appearance? Physical challenges? Family life? Employment status? Achievements? Mistakes?
No, not at all. Countless factors may influence how you manage your career. But who cares enough about you to take on that responsibility never changes.
And most assuredly, who's responsible does not change when you're the subject of a commercial transaction in the hands of an executive recruiter of any kind, or a career or outplacement counselor.
And just as surely not, when you're a Human Resource… At the hands of a company and its managers from the Chief Executive on down, whose interest is mainly in the corporation's wants and needs, not yours.
You know the bottom line. If you don't pay attention and make sure you're getting what you really deserve and want from your career, you have no one else to blame.
Which brings us to the "Rites of Passage." Those so called "primitive societies" had a great idea when they took their young men and women off to the side for a few days or weeks and gave them knowledge that otherwise would have taken years to acquire.
As the saying goes, "We get too soon old and too late smart." With respect to career matters let's fix that. And since we can't start yesterday, let's start now.
Rites of Passage
For the past 24 years, I've been an executive recruiter filling high-level positions for some of America's leading corporations. Day after day, year after year, I've observed...and brokered those pivotal company-to-company transitions that launch a fast-rising career into higher orbit, and that restore momentum when an executive is underutilized or let go.
And whether the scenario is doing-better-elsewhere moving-up-in-the-company or seizing-victory-from-a-setback, what I've observed is that a very few exceptionally aware and self-secure executives may be the top 1/2 of 1% seem to have a virtuoso's mastery of the job-changing process. Exceptionally able in doing their job, they're just as able when it comes to changing jobs.
They deliberately attract the attention of the top executive recruiters, something I want you to do, too. As a result, they're periodically told about attractive opportunities, most of which they turn down. That is, until there's something really worth moving for. Then they snap into action, and win out over tough competition. They don't move too often. But when they do, their careers surge ahead.
Even when they refuse to look at something a recruiter proposes, they build up future career momentum. The recruiter who called them realizes once again how secure and fast-rising they are with their current employer, so he or she resolves to offer them an even higher-level opportunity next time.
And yet, successful as these executives are in handling recruiters, they also know when it serves their self-interest to ignore the recruiters entirely. Then they go straight to potential employers... something you should also do under the right circumstances.
Indeed, it's their remarkably sure sense of their own self-interest, and how very differently it should be pursued under similar-appearing circumstances that makes these special executives as impressive in the management of their careers as in the handling of their business responsibilities.
These able and observant men and women have mastered the art of job-changing at the advanced level, which I've arbitrarily defined as approaching and exceeding $100,000. At six-figures, the rules and methods for job-changing are different than at lower levels. There are more initiatives executives can take, more contacts and opportunities to be explored. But, also more pitfalls and more misinformation.
So you and I are about to do something we saw years ago in Sociology class. Remember how those "primitive societies" took their "initiates" aside and gave them a cram course in what they ought to know for future well-being? They got life's practical knowledge once-and-for-all-in-a-hurry, instead of painfully by trial-and-error over the next 20 years. And of course, they also got some secrets that presumably they'd never find out, unless an insider told them. "Rites of Passage" is what the professor called that process, and you and I are about to go through a modern-day version of the same idea.
What I've done is to collect all the advanced-level job-changing wisdom I've picked up over the past 24 years from the executives who do it best. And to that I've added behind-the-scenes information on the executive recruiting industry which even they haven't had access to.
The result is a comprehensive cram course in making the most of your career, which is as useful as I can possibly make it. It's "Rites of Passage," updated and up-scaled for you, an old idea in a new time and place.
Realizing that you can move efficiently if and when you decide to do so, you'll feel a lot freer to have periodic frank discussions with your current superiors, letting them know that you feel ready to step ahead, and drawing out their unvarnished reactions to your self-appraisal.
There's truth in the old saying, "The squeaking wheel gets the grease." The person who's doing an excellent job and has the self-confidence to ask about the company's tentative timetable for his own promotion is much more likely to get the next higher-echelon position that opens up than his equally-fine-but-silent co-worker. The reason:
"We felt we had to do something for Frank pretty soon, or we might lose him."
And the person whose career is marked by a series of fully-deserved but sooner-than-her-superiors-might-have-preferred promotions is the one who winds up "at a surprisingly young age" in the corner office. By that time her equally able, hardworking, and loyal co-workers have stopped asking, "What's Susan got that I haven't?" It's obvious:
Momentum is its own reward.
Momentum is also a self-fulfilling prophecy. By this time Susan's superiors have not only stopped holding back her progress to accommodate their own, they've begun sponsoring her for even quicker promotions. Knowing their fast-moving subordinate is already attracting upper-management attention for her rapid progress, her current superiors extol her to their superiors.
Susan's bosses can't be faulted for not recognizing an exceptional talent when they see one and certainly not for petty jealousy. So they cheer her along, either as an ideal replacement ready now to take their job so they can move up, or if that's not possible, as an ideal candidate for a higher-level position somewhere else in the company:
"She's ready for more responsibility right now. Unfortunately, I just don't have it for her, unless you want to give her my job. She could handle it!"
Susan's current supervisor, Steve Steady, is being shrewd, not stupid, when he talks like that. The reply he gets proves it:
"Certainly not, Steve. We can't give her your spot. You're doing a great job right where you are. In fact, one of your many fine talents is your ability to recognize and help groom the future leaders of this company. You stand out like a beacon in contrast to some of the other old guys around here who'd feel threatened by a young superstar like Susan. That's why we like to put our up-and-comers through your department to get your solid knowledge of the business, without holding them back and dampening their enthusiasm.
Incidentally, Susan speaks well of you too, Steve. She'll probably be giving you some promotions as the years go by!"
That's the way it works. Once career momentum takes hold, it builds and builds. And, ironically, having the solid self-confidence that comes from knowing there are plenty of attractive opportunities for you outside your current company, encourages you to press for maximum progress where you are.
But please...no blackmail!
Don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about actually interviewing for an outside job, getting an offer, confronting your employer, and eliciting a counteroffer that pushes you ahead where you are. That's a bad idea. It's blackmail. And even if you get by with it once or twice, "three strikes and you're out." Nobody likes a blackmailer. And no one ear-marks him for the future presidency of the company.
In fact, after a pivotal executive is "saved" by a counteroffer, he's usually not looked upon in quite the same favorable way. Instead of being slated for important future positions, he tends to be left out of organizational planning. Or he's categorized as an alternate:
"Well, if AI's still with us, we could also consider him for that job."
No, don't come in with an outside offer you hope your company will meet or beat. It serves you right if they just wave goodbye, and you're headed for a job and a company you don't really want.
Instead, take this approach. Tell your boss:
YOU: "Got a call today from an executive recruiter, who was looking for a Vice President-Marketing for a $150 million specialty foods company. I told him I wasn't interested, but I'd call back with some suggestions. He didn't name the company. Who do you think it might be?"
HE: "Maybe Calico Country. They're about that size and they just put in a new President. Maybe she's reorganizing. Who called you?"
YOU: "A guy I know, Hunter Probe, at Randall Radley Associates. I like it here, and I haven't personally been interested in anything he's had so far. But I've pointed him toward some other people, so he keeps calling. Remember my friend Carol Stevens? I mentioned her to Hunter, and that's how she moved to Farm House Foods as Marketing VP, which was a big jump for her."
HE: "I didn't know you knew anyone at Randall Radley Associates. How'd you meet Hunter Probe?"
YOU: "Oh, he just called one day last fall. He was looking for a head of Brand Management at Conglomerated Foods, and some people mentioned my name. I told him I like this company, and he'd have to come up with a lot bigger job than that to attract me away. However, they were offering a bushel of money about $20,000 more than I'm making now, even after that big raise you pushed through for me in January."
HE: "You never told me any of this!"
YOU: "I didn't see any need to, Bill. I knew you were doing everything you could to fix the salary situation. No point in trying to put pressure on you. What I'm really hoping, is for you to get Sally's job when she retires next summer, so maybe I can have your job."
HE: "You and three other people and all of them have been in this division a lot longer than you have. But I must admit, George, you're doing excellent work. You've got our attention, and we're planning a great future for you. In fact, when Alex signed off on your raise, he told me that you're..."
Now you've got the right idea. You can't whack a relationship into place with a sledge hammer. You're likely to shatter it. An occasional gentle tap on the shoulder will do far more good and less harm than one big dramatic hit.
Let's go back to Susan's boss, Steve Steady, the older fellow whose department the company likes to put its "young superstars" through to get his "solid knowledge of the business, without holding them back and dampening their enthusiasm." Obviously the company likes him a lot better than it does "some of the other old guys around here who'd feel threatened by a young superstar like Susan." In fact, it sounds like those other "old guys" are on thin ice.
But is Steve happy? Is he enjoying enough status, and making enough money, to justify relegating himself to "unsung hero"? He's got job security. But does he have job satisfaction?
Maybe not. Maybe somewhere under Steve's 25-years-with-the-com-pany tie clasp beats the heart of a striver, who still wants the challenge, recognition, and rewards he deserves. Maybe Steve secretly yearns to be more than just a reliable upper-middle-manager, who's also a mentor to upwardly mobile young "superstars", protégés who, even after they leave Steve's department, still call him for basic knowledge they've progressed too fast to acquire.
Whether he realizes it or not, Steve's actually in quite a good position to pursue advancement outside his current company. True, he's 52 years old. But he's also more comfortably established and more mobile than a younger person. His pension is fully vested. His home is almost paid for. And his youngest child graduates from college nine weeks from tomorrow.
Steve can afford to take risks he wouldn't have earlier. What's more, his degree of risk in moving is even less than it might seem. Since he's no longer on the "fast track," his compensation isn't particularly high. Even if Steve encounters bad luck in the first outside job he takes, he can surely duplicate what he earns now in some subsequent position. And knowing Steve's ability and commitment, he won't fail.
Moreover, the outside world will be receptive to Steve. He's an excellent administrative business generalist, and he has a consummate knowledge of his industry, gained in one of its most respected companies.
Chances are, one of the smaller and younger companies in Steve's field can greatly profit from his experience. And he'll probably come in at a much higher echelon than he occupies in the huge conglomerate he works for now. Certainly he'll be a member of the Management Committee, and probably in time he'll be on the Board of Directors. And because his wise counsel will be heard at the highest level of the company...as it's not and never will be where he is...Steve will surely be more respected, more influential, and proportionally higher-paid than in his current company. Best of all, a dynamic, youthful company may provide an interesting equity opportunity that Steve could never hope for where he is.
Steve's problem, however, is to find out what specific opportunities may exist for him outside his current company without letting his employer know he's looking. He certainly shouldn't jeopardize his comfortable, secure job, just to look for outside opportunities, which may never materialize or may, after interviewing and investigation, turn out to be no better than what he has.
Fortunately, Steve can safely look outside if he wants to. In fact, he can do so very aggressively, while minimizing any risk that his current employer will find out. How to do so is another of the many matters you and I will cover in detail before we part company at the end of this book.
Let's look in on Steve Steady's 54-year-old sister Sandra, who runs a large out-of-the-mainstream department in an altogether different company. Unlike Steve, Sandra is a specialist. And she's already running just about as big an operation in her specialty as she's likely to find anywhere else. Even so, outside opportunity beckons.
Aided by a leading executive recruiting firm, the Chief Operating Officer of a large conglomerate directly competitive with Sandra's present company is talking to her. He wants her to come over and do for Next-Co the very same job she's done brilliantly for the past 11 years at Current Corporation.
The incentive to switch: Considerably higher compensation for our one-company taken-for-granted executive...about 15% more than industry-average pay for her job, whereas Sandra's now making 25% less than industry-average. That's actually a 53% improvement in cash, plus a company car, which she doesn't have now.
Should she accept? She'd be a fool not to. In fact, Sandra resigned yesterday afternoon.
But her boss, shocked and upset, asked her "not to say anything about this to anyone else for 24 hours, and until you and I have talked again." Obviously, there's a counteroffer in the wind.
Usually it's a big mistake for any upwardly mobile executive to forego a leap-ahead opportunity and stay where she is in response to a counteroffer. But Sandra may be an exception.
As a specialist, she's now at the top of her field heading her function at one of the largest conglomerates. She's gone about as far as she can reasonably expect to go. Unfortunately, for that reason and because her superiors have assumed that no outside company would ever identify and grab her, Current Corporation has been neglecting Sandra's compensation. Now that she has resigned to join Next-Co, Sandra's superiors are suddenly waking up. Her boss is talking to his boss:
"Face it, Harry, we've been getting by with murder. We knew Sandra loved the company, and loved that little department she's built. We figured she'd never try to leave, and we never imagined that anyone would swoop in here looking for her. So we haven't been paying her what she's worth. She'll be getting $115,000, plus a car, plus stock options at Next-Co. And you know what we've been paying her? $75,150, straight salary!"
"If we have to replace Sandra, we'll probably have to come up with about the same money they're offering which, with the car, comes to more than $120,000. And it'll cost us an extra $30,000 to $40,000 just to hire a recruiter to look for somebody."
"Therefore, I say let's hit Sandra with a base of $115,000, and no car, since we have a policy against cars. But let's also throw in a VP title, which will qualify her for stock options and Level II incentives. And maybe we should dress up that drab little office she has. Let's give Sandra the recognition she deserves. We've got the best person in the industry! Let's at least try to keep her."
Well, Sandra, under your unusual circumstances, maybe they're coming up with a counteroffer you should seriously consider. You'd only be Director of Physical Distribution at Next-Co, and in either company Physical Distribution doesn't rate a seat in the Boardroom. It's too bad your superiors didn't "get religion" sooner. But now that they realize you're visible to the outside world, they're not going to be so casual about your "care-and-feeding" again. You love the department you've built. Maybe you should stay.
Obviously, Sandra, your superiors don't even suspect that you drew yourself to the attention of the executive recruiting community.
And we won't tell them. Congratulations. Mission accomplished!
Out of a job?
That's when you can take full advantage of all the "Rites of Passage" right away.
Many of the most successful executives I've known over the years have been out of work at least once in their careers...and many, several times. The difference between these "winners," and others less successful, is in how creatively and aggressively they've handled their unemployment. Much of the helpful information in this book comes from observing them. Read on, and you'll have the benefit of their knowledge and experience.
On the other hand, by far the most misunderstood job-changing resource...at all points of an executive's career, and especially when he or she is out of work...is the executive recruiting industry. There's no way you can get past the myth and misinformation, unless you can get an insider's perspective on the upper levels of the recruiting profession. And that's what you'll have when you're halfway through this book.
Moreover, after the remainder of this book prepares you for it, you can take a postgraduate course in how executive recruiting operates at the highest levels of management. It's in Appendix I. See a search through the eyes of the recruiter. When you've finished reading Rites, you'll know as much about how recruiters deal with executives as if you've actually been a recruiter yourself.
By the time you complete these "Rites of Passage," you'll clearly understand the motives and methods of every sector of the "people business." Everyone from the employment agency that got you your first couple jobs after college (which today calls itself a "management consulting," "executive recruiting," or "executive search" firm)...right through the most prestigious recruiters...to the "outplacement" and "executive marketing" segments of the industry.
As an upwardly-mobile executive, there's a good chance that sometime during your career you'll be involved with all of the "professions" that move executives around. Therefore, it's worthwhile to take this once-and-for-all-in-a-hurry opportunity to see how you should deal with each to best serve your self-interest, which often does not match theirs. For example, one of many practical suggestions is as simple as this:
"Watch the money change hands!"
That's a good rule in general. And especially helpful, when you're the subject of a commercial transaction.
And of course, dealing with "professionals" in the "people business" isn't the only way to advance your career by casting your eyes outside your current company. We'll polish every facet of your game, from handling your own personal contacts to "networking" among helpful strangers, to telephone technique with recruiters to smoke out whether what they're calling about is in your best interest...to creating a really persuasive resume...to handling interviews with both employers and recruiters for your maximum advantage...to conducting a direct mail campaign to negotiating an employment agreement. And lots more.
Whatever could put you a thought or a step ahead in the advancement of your career we'll try to cover. And wherever a "professional" in the "people business" might be a step ahead of you, we'll even the odds. Beyond that, everything is up to you.
