What is the measure of a good Manager? COO? CEO? Do you know how you measure against the top performers in your title category? If you are a strong performer, have you demonstrated and promoted your performance in the workplace against industry benchmarks of excellence? Are you participating in activities now to further build skills in the areas expected of a preferred candidate in the next tier?

Many of you are not sufficiently articulate about your performance versus norms to adequately manage your expectations and future promotion potential.

It is not usually technical skills or knowledge of IP (intellectual property) that sets apart top performers from others in the band. It is soft skills, attitude, and the ability to lead or influence the ideas and priorities of others. To identify and sell the concepts, strategies, or changes that increase share of market, profitability, or revenue beyond the expectations of your predecessors and management. To be a “rainmaker.”

Success is more about attitude than aptitude – that you may not have learned as much about the company, product, service, process, or customer as you could know tomorrow. That the best thing to do may be what is right for the customer and company, not you personally.

In future blogs I will discuss the characteristics of some specific executive titles. Look for discussion about the Product Manager next.

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, interviews, resume + cover letter | No Comments »

Selling Yourself to Management

As I said in my last post, as a recruiter, I am not actually seeing any evidence of a Recession outside of the financial industry. However, many of the strategies that protect you in a bad market also improve your status with in a good market.

• Network to keep your value, your brand, visible at all times with your present management and clients. Networking builds bridges to get things accomplished on an every day basis. You should be networking at 2 or 3 title levels above you as insurance if your boss leaves the company. Network with other departments. Network with people junior to you as they may have very different philosophies towards work. Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, networking, salary | No Comments »