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Go From Manager to Leader: Getting Your First Executive Level Position · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: To go from manager into your first executive level position is a big jump up in responsibility, pressure, influence and impact on the business you work for.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: You've worked hard to get into senior management, and this is the last big hurdle to overcome.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: To secure one of the few executive positions available, you need to stand out and operate in a different way from your peers in senior manager roles.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: To really stand out, you need to show a better approach to managing your team and the relationships with all those around you.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: You have to demonstrate strategic thinking as well as the ability to deliver through others.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Above all, the results you deliver through your team need to be ahead of your peers.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: My first role at executive level was moving into a large company that was about to fail.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: It only had a week or so left of operating costs in cash.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: It was a high-risk move and exactly the challenge I was looking for.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Having the confidence to make difficult decisions and create change came from all the steps I took and the experience I'd gained before I moved from manager to executive level.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: We saved the company and I was responsible for helping generate over 24 million in cash in the first 24 months.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sharing six of the key areas to focus on for getting your first executive level position and doing a great job when you land it.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: These are firstly demonstrate your strategic or business level thinking.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, show your focus on business profitability and impactful results.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Third, focus on getting the best from the teams you manage.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, show your ability to deliver results in cross-functional projects.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, build good professional relationships with all employees, and then sixth, build good relationships with those in executive positions.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: To go from manager to leader is a big step for those considering hiring you or promoting you.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: To be seriously considered, reducing the perceived risk of promoting or hiring you is as important as demonstrating all the upsides you would bring to the role.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: There are a lot of actions you should proactively take, and I'm sharing what has worked for me and many of my coaching clients.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: The first action for getting your first executive level position is to demonstrate your strategic or business level thinking.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: In executive level positions, you are part of the team running the business as well as being responsible for running your functional business unit.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: As a minimum, I suggest you find out about and understand firstly the sector you operate in.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, the main competitors in the sector and how they are positioned compared to your company.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Third, the strategy of the business and why this has been chosen in the context of the environment.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, the key challenges and issues faced by the business over the next 6 to 12 months.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, what your teams need to deliver and to do to make the strategy and company as successful as possible.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: When discussing the strategic choices with those in executive positions, you want to be knowledgeable and able to contribute in a meaningful way.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: When you get others thinking about different viewpoints, rethinking their own perceptions and considering different solutions you have put forward, you will be on a level with them.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget that you are likely to be the expert from a functional perspective.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: You also need to understand and appreciate the pressures and challenges other executives face to consider what actions are best for the company and how best to allocate the resources the company has to best effect.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Demonstrate your strategic thinking as a senior manager to be considered for executive level positions.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: The second action for getting your first executive level position is to show your focus on business profitability and impactful results.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: The more senior you become, the lower your job security.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because of the much bigger impact your role has on the success of the company and the teams you manage, the company can't afford for an executive to be performing below average.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Results are what counts, and your contribution to the business profitability and cash generation are the primary ways for your success or otherwise to be measured.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Think about how you and your teams can increase profitability and track your progress in terms of financial results.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Get help from the finance team as needed to do this.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: When you are clearly improving profitability and cash generation for the business, you can then market what you are achieving to those in executive level positions.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is a great way to position yourself to go from manager to leader.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles, and if you're new here, Enhanced Doctraining helps you build management expertise and confidence to lead any team to their best performance.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you're serious about getting your first executive level position or that you want to maximize your impact in your first six months of a new executive position, I invite you to book in a call with me using the link in the podcast description to discuss a coaching program to make the transition from manager to executive easier and quicker.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: The link is in the podcast description.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: The third action for getting your first executive level position is to focus on getting the best from the teams you manage.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: As you know, leading, motivating and guiding teams to produce their best work is not straightforward or easy.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: In my experience, the more you work to help your team, the more you proactively make their lives easier, the more they will work to deliver the results you need.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: When you increase the team's skill levels through development and coaching, the more capable the team is to reach the goals, plus you provide a good and fair exchange for their hard work.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Be proactive in how you help your team.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Spend a significant amount of your time, here upwards of 30%, working on improving team performance.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Here are eight actions that I always take to motivate teams and get the best work I can from them.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, create and communicate clear team goals.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, get to know each team member, their interests, their strengths and their ambitions.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Third, demonstrate that I will personally make their work lives better and easier, if for example, solving problems and issues that they face.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, create clear responsibility and accountability by person so I and each team member understand what they can expect from me and each other.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, build trust on a personal and professional level.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: 6.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Solve problems that are impacting individual and team results and performance.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Seventh, encourage lots of honest open communication and feedback.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: And eighth, protect the team from low-value work requests, distractions, too many changes of direction and similar.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Proactively and visibly work to get the best from the teams that you manage.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Do this and your bosses will be delighted to give you more people to manage.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: The fourth action for getting your first executive level position is to show your ability to deliver results in cross-functional projects.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: The more senior your role, the more important it becomes to work with other functions and peers to deliver outputs and results.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Being successful in cross-functional working shows that you can navigate different viewpoints, different pressures and goals, and different personality types, and still deliver great results.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Many functions have very different goals.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: A classic is sales is focused on revenue and finance is focused on profit.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: This leads to conflicting priorities and demands which have to be balanced and navigated by those in executive level positions.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Actively seek out opportunities to work with other functions and departments to deliver shared results and output.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Working with other functions is also a great way to build your understanding and appreciation of what they do and their pressures and challenges.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Show your ability to successfully deliver results in cross-functional projects.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: The fifth action for getting your first executive position is to build good professional relationships with all employees.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: The ability to manage others well is the ability to build relationships with all different types of people and be able to work well with them to achieve common goals.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Managers and leaders work through others.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: They help others do a better job, coordinate activities to get better results, and remove problems.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: To achieve good results through others, the ability to build good professional relationships becomes more and more important.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: With good relationships, you have trust, appreciation and reliance.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: These means that you get help quicker and you get the resources you want when you need them.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: This means you can deliver a lot more in a given time frame than those without these relationships.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: Relationships are a core part of teamwork.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Go out of your way to find out about the people you are working with.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: What are they good at and not so good at?
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: What are their interests?
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Outside of work, what do they do?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: How ambitious are they and where do they want to get to?
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Do they have family and kids?
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Find out about them personally and professionally.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Build trust and reliance by helping them do a better job with less stress.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Proactively work to build good relationships with as many of your colleagues and co-workers as practical so you can increase your influence and ability to deliver.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: The sixth action for getting your first executive level position is to build good relationships with those in executive positions on a professional and personal level.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Getting promoted into executive level positions is not just about doing a great job and delivering impressive results.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Those already in executive positions want to know more about you as a person and understand if you will fit in with their group and if they will enjoy working alongside you.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: These are all very human or personal level concerns, yet they remain very important to be considered for promotion.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Create opportunities to work with the current executives, join projects, undertake relevant research or analysis and book in a meeting with them to go through it.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Pop round to their desks and provide them with a quick update on the progress of your team, etc.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Find excuses to meet with those in executive positions and provide them value.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Taking these steps creates a great platform to get to know them on a personal basis.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Ask about their interests and hobbies outside of work.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Do some research and in the next meeting demonstrate an appreciation of their interests.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: Get them talking about things that they are interested in.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: In short, proactively work to build personal as well as professional relationships with the current executive team to go from manager to leader.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, in summary, getting your first executive level position is a big deal and a big hurdle to overcome.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: When you go from manager to leader, you get a lot of additional responsibilities, pressure and scrutiny.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: There are also a lot of upsides too, you know, from having a much greater impact and influence over the performance of the business.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: To help you get your first executive level position, do put these six tactics or actions into practice.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, demonstrate your strategic or business level thinking.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, show your focus on business profitability and impactful results.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Third, focus on getting the best from the teams you manage.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, show your ability to deliver results in cross-functional projects.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, build good relationships with all employees.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then sixth, build good relationships with those in executive positions.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions on go from manager to leader, getting your first executive level position, please email me at support at enhance.training and I'll get back to you.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, a reminder: if you are serious about getting your first executive level position, or that you want to maximize your impact in your first six months of a new executive position, I invite you to book in a call with me using the link in the podcast description to discuss a coaching programme to make the transition from manager to executive easier and quicker.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: The link is in the podcast description.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.