Nearly everyone I know who has climbed the corporate ladder has had a defining momement - or moments - in their career. They delivered a high visibility project or financial performance. They created and lead something great. They did not confuse activity with results. Having your name synonymous with a defining strategy or tactic generates stories that become part of corporate lore. Legacies are born. It's real, performance-based contribution - usually out of the norm. It takes courage, creativity, leadership and persistence.
If you have not become the fabric of a penetrating story - you may be moving up too fast.
Having been promoted because you have a good pedigree or have found favor with an influencial mentor is part of the game. But at some point, someone's going to ask, "what have you delivered?" And I don't mean buried in the accomplishments of a larger team. And you need to distinguish between a team you lead that did something great vs. your leading a team to something great.
And there's another angle. Until you have earned a spot on a pedestal, you may be labeled as overly ambitious. Or maybe worse - high maintenance. You're one of these people if you answer yes to the following:
- Are 1:1s with your manager consumed by career develop discussions vs. goal achievement?
- Does succession planning ("organizational inventory", "talent management review") put knots in your stomach?
- Do you dwell on comparing your performance to that of peers?
- Do you debate ratings during performance appraisals?
So next time you feel like your career's stalled, ask yourself a tough question: "Have I created a legacy by delivering results in a unique manner via a strategy I developed and execution I drove?"
Legacies don't have to be huge, but they do need to have your imprint on them. George Jefferson left a legacy - I'm remembering him 20+ years after he left the airwaves. Yep, he'd be on top of my candidate slate if I had an opening.
Copyright @ Keith Chaitoff 2009
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