In the first decades after WW II, the successful “organization man” stuck with the company that hired him out of college, moving methodically upward, from one corporate rung to the next.  

In many large companies, career paths were charted carefully and strong players were supported along the way with lavish opportunities for training and development.  For some, upward mobility was the inevitable reward for hard work, loyalty and whole hearted acceptance of the corporate culture.  

Recent research suggests that the way to the top has changed considerably.  It’s possible to move more quickly from your first job to the executive suite, but you may have to change organizations or specialties along the way. 

Many companies and institutions have cut their spending on management development, and these days individual professionals have little support as they seek to chart a course for career advancement.

The lack of guidance can be daunting, whether you’re just starting to build a new career, or seeking to take a final leap or two toward the top job.  On the other hand, there are now many different ways to move onward and upward, and if one approach doesn’t work another might.   

In today’s job market, guiding principles can take the place of a clearly marked pathway.  Here are some strategies that you might want to adopt as you put in place your own set of rules for climbing the organizational ladder:

• Know who your boss is, know what she wants, and give it to her.  Many a rising star has crashed and burned by ignoring this basic rule.  Take responsibility for finding out what your boss expects from you, respect your boss’s position, and work to understand his or her organizational and personal objectives.

• Understand the business.  Develop a clear understanding of the organization’s primary mission.  Know its goals and how it makes or manages its money.  Understand what it produces, who it buys from, who it serves or sells to, and who it competes with. 

• Don’t be a one-trick pony.  Particularly if you’re in a field like government affairs or PR, there’s a danger that you’ll be type-cast.  Even your friends and supporters within the hierarchy may think that the job you’re doing now is the only one that you can do, or want to try.   So look for new ways to make a contribution, volunteer for tasks or committees that will bring you closer to the mainstream, and take advantage of opportunities for cross-training.

• Expand your job.  Many “promotions” simply acknowledge that the job-holder already has taken on additional tasks.  Regard your job description as your minimum contribution, and quietly undertake other projects that need to be done.  

• Dress the part.  Develop a vision of the kind of person who is needed in the tiers above you, and carry yourself as if you were already there. 

• Build a broad network.  Get to know colleagues throughout the organization, and give them a chance to see that you are an energetic, upbeat person, who is genuinely willing to help 

• Be positive.  Take advantage of even brief opportunities to have a positive impact on somebody else’s day.  People are drawn to their positive colleagues, but tend to avoid negative individuals, who drain energy away.

• Know what you want to be, regardless of what you want to do.  At times it may be difficult to chart a forward course.  But when you’re uncertain about which job to pursue, it helps if you stay focused on the kind of person you want to be.  Make a list of the values that are important to you, and try to live up to them.

Copyright ©2005, ClearWays Consulting, LLC  & Beverly E. Jones