The Unwritten Rules: The Six Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level

ISBN: 0470585781

Author: Beeson, John

Condition: New

Maximize your chances to get promoted to the executive levelAs predictable career paths have become extinct in most organizations, managers aspiring to the C-level job are left to their own devices to determine how to advance their careers. Even in companies committed to talent development, guidance to aspiring executives is often vague and contradictory. This happens, executive coach John Beeson argues, because executive promotions are made based on the decision makers' intuitive sense of whether or not a manager can succeed at higher levels within the organization. Beeson decodes these leadership criteria--the unwritten rules--that companies use to make decisions about who gets promoted and who doesn't, and identifies the six core "selection factors" that are imperative for success at the executive levelDemonstrating strategic skills Building a strong management team Managing implementation Exhibiting the capacity for innovation and change Working across organizational boundaries Projecting executive presenceFilled with stories of managers who successfully climbed up the executive ladder-and some who struggled-The Unwritten Rules is an invaluable resource for aspiring executives.Amazon.com Exclusive: Q & A with Author John BeesonWhy did you write The Unwritten Rules?In my thirty-plus years of succession planning and talent development work at top-tier companies, Ive routinely observed two distressing phenomena. On one hand, virtually every company I work with bemoans its lack of talent to fill executive-level positions. On the other hand, I see talented managers who are frustrated by their inability to get ahead with their careers and confused about what they need to do to advance. I find this disconnect concerning. Ive also observed that there is a short list of factors that companies actually use to decide whom to promote to the executive level. By revealing them in this book, I hope to enable aspiring managers to take greater ownership of their careers. When you know what skills to focus on, you can be much more targeted in your personal development efforts.Why do so many talented managers and business people get stuck in careers or jobs that they find frustrating?While talented managers get lots of feedback about how they are performing in their current jobs, they rarely get the feedback that really counts--feedback about how they are viewed by those who make executive placement decisions. Without knowing where you stand in terms of your companys criteria for advancement to the executive level, youre pretty much in the dark about the skills you need to develop and demonstrate. Meanwhile, companies are hesitant to provide constructive feedback to their top managers because they feel leadership skills required for executive success are somewhat subjective or they fear de-motivating or losing a strong performer.Is The Unwritten Rules relevant in a downturn economy, when advancement in any career path is limited?Although the pace of promotion in many organizations has slowed due to the recession, opportunities for advancement will rebound when the economy strengthens and Baby Boom-era executives retire. If you are a manager who aspires to the C-suite level, use this time to prepare to be first off the bench when the promotional landscape opens up. This is the perfect time to pay attention to messages about ways to improve your career prospects.What, in a nutshell, are the unwritten rules?The unwritten rules are the often poorly-articulated factors that companies use to decide who does and doesnt get promoted to the executive or C-suite level. They include the non-negotiables--the capabilities you need to display to even be considered as a candidate, namely ethics, integrity, and a strong desire to lead. The unwritten rules also include the de-selection factors that prevent an otherwise high-performing manager from being a serious candidate--for example, putting ones interests above that of the good