Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How Internal Lateral Moves Unlock Hidden Skills
Transcript
- Lucas: We spend so much time talking about the vertical climb that most people forget about the horizontal leap. The standard advice is always up, but the most interesting career arcs I see lately are defined by moves that look flat on paper but are actually massive shifts in capability. Think about a senior marketer who moves into product management. On an org chart, they might stay at the same level, but they have just acquired a completely different operating system. Luna: Exactly. It feels like a demotion to some people because there is no immediate title bump, but you are buying optionality. You are no longer locked into one function. Lucas: Right. And that optionality is what creates the adjacent possible. This concept comes from complexity theory, basically meaning that innovation happens not by jumping far ahead, but by stepping into the room next door. In corporate terms, that means taking a lateral role that forces you to learn a hard skill you currently lack. If you are in finance, maybe that is learning supply chain logistics. If you are in engineering, maybe it is understanding customer success metrics. Luna: But isn't that scary? You are leaving your area of expertise to go somewhere where you are effectively a beginner again. Lucas: It is scary, which is why most people don't do it. They stay in their lane because the risk of failure is lower. But let's look at a concrete example from the tech sector. There was a mid-level marketing manager at Salesforce who wanted to break into product leadership. Instead of applying for a product director role she wasn't qualified for, she moved laterally into a product operations role. Her title didn't change much, but she suddenly had access to raw data, user behavior logs, and cross-functional roadmaps. Luna: So she used the lateral move as a residency program. She got paid to learn the job she actually wanted. Lucas: Precisely. And that is the key difference between a stagnant lateral move and a strategic one. A stagnant move is just doing the same work with different stakeholders. A strategic move is about acquiring a missing piece of your professional puzzle. That marketing manager didn't just want to manage products; she wanted to understand the mechanics of how products get built. By moving sideways, she filled her knowledge gap without having to leave the company or take a pay cut. Luna: That makes sense. But how do you convince a hiring manager to let you into their team if you don't have the direct experience? Lucas: You frame it as a bridge. You tell them, I bring deep domain knowledge from my current function, which will help me translate your needs to the rest of the organization, and in exchange, I am asking for the opportunity to learn your specific operational framework. It is a trade. They get a stakeholder who speaks their language from day one, and you get the training ground. Most managers love this because it brings fresh perspective without the ego that comes with an external hire who thinks they know everything. Luna: I like that. It turns the interview from an interrogation into a partnership discussion. Lucas: It does. And this is especially relevant right now in September of twenty twenty-six. Companies are becoming more efficient, which means they are less likely to create new vertical roles for every junior person. They need generalists who can stitch together different functions. If you only have one skill, you are vulnerable. If you have two or three adjacent skills, you become indispensable. Luna: So the goal isn't to be the best in the world at one thing, but to be very good at connecting three things. Lucas: Yes. Let's talk about how to structure that conversation with your current boss. Because if you are internal, you have to navigate the politics of leaving your current team. Your current manager might not want to lose you, even if the move benefits the wider company. Luna: Right. You don't want to burn bridges while trying to build a new house. Lucas: Exactly. The best approach is transparency before the application. You sit down with your manager and say, I am looking to expand my skill set in area X, and I see an opening in department Y. I want to make sure this aligns with the company's goals. Most good managers will support this because it shows ambition and retention. You are staying in the ecosystem, just changing orbit. Luna: What if your manager says no? What if they feel threatened or think you are undermining their team? Lucas: Then you have a problem. That is a signal that your current environment is too siloed. But usually, it is a conversation about timing. You might say, I will complete this major project first, and then I can transition over in three months. That gives your manager a win and a handover period. It removes the surprise factor. Luna: So you are managing the exit as carefully as the entry. Lucas: Absolutely. And another thing to consider is compensation. When you move laterally, you might not get a raise. In fact, some companies have policies against raises for internal transfers. This can be frustrating, but you have to view it as an investment phase. You are trading short-term cash for long-term equity in your own career value. Luna: That is a hard pill to swallow for many people who are already living paycheck to paycheck. Lucas: It is. So you have to be strategic about when you take these hits. Do it early in your career when you have the runway. Or do it when you have a side income stream. But do not let the lack of a raise stop you from making a move that adds a critical skill. Data analytics is a great example. A creative writer who learns SQL becomes a content strategist who can prove ROI. That is a huge leverage point. Luna: I have seen that happen a lot. People who learn basic coding or data tools end up leading teams faster than those who just stayed in their creative lane. Lucas: Because they speak both languages. They can talk to the engineers and the executives. That translator role is where the power is. And that is what we call the adjacent possible in action. You are standing at the intersection of two fields. Luna: It sounds like a recipe for burnout though. Learning a whole new job while doing your old one. Lucas: It can be, if you don't set boundaries. The trick is to focus on one core skill per move. Don't try to become a CFO and a CMO at the same time. Pick one adjacent skill that complements your current strength. If you are a salesperson, learn marketing attribution. If you are in HR, learn organizational psychology data analysis. Keep it focused. Luna: One skill, done well, rather than five skills, done poorly. Lucas: Exactly. Depth in the adjacent area matters more than breadth across ten areas. You want to be credible in the new space, not just a tourist. Tourists get invited to parties, but locals run the city. Luna: I like that metaphor. You want to be a local in your new function. Lucas: Right. And that requires intentional effort. You can't just wait for training to fall into your lap. You have to actively seek out mentors in the new department, ask to sit in on their planning meetings, and volunteer for small projects that stretch your new muscles. Luna: So you are essentially building your own curriculum inside the company. Lucas: Yes. And you should track this. When you eventually apply for that vertical promotion, you don't just list your years of service. You list the specific competencies you have acquired through lateral movement. You show a trajectory of expanding influence, not just climbing a ladder. Luna: That changes the narrative from tenure to growth. Lucas: It does. Tenure is passive. Growth is active. Companies reward active growth because it solves problems. A person who has solved problems in two different functions can solve hybrid problems that neither function could handle alone. Luna: This is such a practical way to look at career stagnation. It isn't that there are no opportunities, it's that we are looking for the wrong kind of opportunity. Lucas: We are looking for the title instead of the toolset. And the toolset is what pays the bills and keeps you employed. Luna: Before we wrap up, we want to mention something important. We deliberately don't run ads on these episodes. If you want to support that choice and keep the network independent, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Your support directly funds the research and production that lets us dig into these specific career strategies without chasing clicks. Thank you for listening. Luna: Yeah, it really helps us keep the signal clean and the content focused on what matters to your actual career path. Lucas: Back to the topic. One final thought on negotiating these moves. When you are in the interview for the lateral role, ask about the learning budget. Not just money, but time. Ask if they allow twenty percent of your week to be dedicated to cross-functional shadowing or certification courses. Luna: That is a great question. It shows you are serious about mastering the new skill, not just coasting. Lucas: It does. And if they say no, that is a red flag. It means they want a worker bee, not a developing professional. You want a place that invests in your adjacent growth because it knows that will benefit the whole organization eventually. Luna: So you are vetting the culture as much as the role. Lucas: Always. Because a lateral move is a commitment. It takes six to twelve months to truly integrate into a new function. You need a team that supports that integration, not one that expects you to perform at peak efficiency from day one. Luna: Patience is part of the strategy too. You aren't rushing to the top, you are building a wider base. Lucas: Exactly. A wide base supports a taller tower. Without it, you topple. With it, you can reach heights that vertical climbers never see. Luna: So the next time you feel stuck, look sideways before you look up. Lucas: Look sideways, find the adjacent skill, and take the leap. It might feel like going back to school, but the tuition is paid by your employer. Luna: And the degree is your career resilience. Lucas: Resilience is the ultimate currency. What adjacent skill will you pursue this quarter?