When you want to be a successor: 7 ways to position yourself for consideration
Despite our challenging times, many people are getting promoted, taking on new roles or taking this opportunity to retire from corporate life. Whatever your circumstance or your manager’s circumstance, leaders need to develop those who might be successors to their roles.
This first means they need to identify who might be a successor to their role. Many organizations spend time and even full-time staff to determine successors for key roles and how ready they are to ascend to those roles.
Talking about succession and successors can generate some hesitancy, stress and uncertainty. Leaders don’t know how transparent to be about naming successors and those who may or may not be a successor live in darkness wondering whether or not they will be considered. It can be a bit of an awkward tango with no one knowing how much to commit nor how much to express interest without being too assertive.
Both parties in this situation should be transparent without fear of consequence. Leaders may be unsure whether they should share if someone is being considered for a role but it should be understood there are no guarantees. The biggest concern I have heard is what if we tell someone they are being considered and then their performance tanks and we don’t want to promote them. If that happens, then you identified the wrong person. Identify consistent top performers for a larger role. Those people will not let you down.
For those interested in being promoted into a higher role, there is no shame, nor risk in saying so. Now, I wouldn’t walk around the office with a banner around my neck but there is no harm in telling your manager you are interested in the job. They may not know. You might think it should be obvious to everyone but it may not be.
Here is how to position yourself if you want your manager’s job.
Accept it may be awkward.
This may not be true for everyone but for most us, this might be awkward. Yep. Okay. It is. There are a lot of awkward situations in life we just need to accept and muddle through. This could be one of them for you. Some of you may have a challenging time telling your boss you want their job as you are unsure how they will react. As my Dad always told me, they can’t kill you — always great fall-back advice whenever I get trepidatious about something. That is true; they can’t. Thank goodness for some humanity.
Don’t stay silent.
I often coach younger generations on this point in many different circumstances. Say something. You can sit there and wait to see if someone will tap you on the shoulder but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. There is no shame in saying you want something or are interested in something. Many of us, and I have been guilty of this from time to time, think someone should just “know” what we want. We might think it is obvious. They will never know you’re interested unless you tell them you are. Mind-reading, while a great skill for super heroes, is not something we have mastered as a human race.
Ask what you need to develop.
Good leaders may offer what they think you need to develop or experience to help you prepare for their role. Some may not. If you express an interest, your manager might say you’re not ready. Whether they feel you are ready or not, as someone interested in the role, ask your manager what s/he thinks you should focus on to be considered. Whether you are tagged to be their successor or not, this is a great time to get feedback. I would venture to say nine times out of ten, your manager will tell you what skill you need to develop or what experience you should gain to help position you for their job.
Ask to take on one thing currently managed by your boss.
To help develop yourself to take on the bigger role, ask to either be included in a project or effort led by your boss or offer to take on a task or two your boss manages today. I once took over the task of managing and driving the project portfolio and team meetings — a task my manager didn’t like but an important one for someone leading the team. I have also asked to drive consulting engagements that would normally go to my boss. This might take a little assertion on your part but I find most managers have too much to do and are grateful for assistance as well as the chance to see you in action.
Enroll other decision-makers.
This one is trickier and depends a lot on the players, personalities and politics (apologies for the alliteration). You’re not running for Congress so you don’t need signs, buttons and inspiring speeches, but, once again, if people don’t know you’re interested, they may or may not advocate for you when the time comes. If there are other stakeholders or people that may be asked for their opinion, have a coffee chat and mention your interest. If you want to go further, ask them what they think you need to do to develop and position yourself for the role. This may not be in your comfort zone but I imagine there could be at least one person outside of your manager you may be able to connect with and talk about your career desires. I had one acquaintance express interest to take over a group to the department head while their manager was still in place. She went around her manager to say this and it ended up reflecting on her badly. Enroll other people but don’t circumvent your current manager. This could be perceived as making an unwelcome power play.
Continue to perform at a high level.
This probably goes without saying but nothing makes you look like a great choice than to perform exceptionally well in your current role. I once had a colleague who was so focused on getting the top job that he backed off a little on his day-to-day responsibilities. He thought this showed he could operate at a higher level but it really showed he couldn’t do his current job well. He ended up not getting the job over someone who was a solid performer.
Timing matters.
Timing is everything. In this case, it really is. The time to say something may not be obvious. I don’t suggest you wait until your manager says they are leaving or retiring because it could be too late. However, sensing when it is too early is important. There are other ways to express your career desires without saying: “I want your job.” You can say you want to be a department head or senior product manager or manage a global team some day. There are ways to express your desire to be promoted without appearing to be challenging them for their job. Now, if you know your manager is thinking about retirement or has said they want to move into another division, seize those opportunities for sure.
For those who have ambition to take on more responsibility and go for a bigger job, your manager may be the one who occupies that seat today. That’s okay. People don’t stay in positions forever and it is okay to express your interest and career desires at the right time in a professional manner. Just remember: No one is a mind reader and there is no shame in expressing your interests.