Getting Ahead & Getting Promoted
Do you want to progress and build your career? Getting to the top of the corporate pyramid is tough and it is not for everyone. Some get filtered out, some get stuck behind, some get distracted. Some are happy where they are. Only a few will climb higher - it is a pyramid after all. Complacency, inactivity and distractions tragically kill many promising careers. Make a decision. Take charge of your career and get the recognition and career you want and deserve.
Trajectory and momentum are everything. Celebrate your successes, then focus on the next level. Keep sharpening the knife, learning, and developing. If you want to get ahead of the competition, you need to get serious - and stay serious.
Taking Charge of Your Career and Your Future
Some companies have fantastic personal development programmes and consistently help you map out a career path and progress along it. Many do not. Or don't do it as well as you would like. Some focus on their short-term needs only.
Even if you work for one of the amazing companies that water, fertilise and nurture their talent, that's no reason for you to abdicate control over your career and personal development. Surely you should be an active participant in identifying and honing the skills and talents you need to fulfil your long-term career dreams?
"The reality we experience tomorrow is generally defined by the choices we make today."
Remember, your organisation's immediate and short-term talent needs may not be in sync with your long-term career needs and plans. You need to make sure that you are developing and learning and making progress towards your own career goals, not just meeting the short-term and medium-term demands of your current employer.
It's your life. Make yourself as company-independent and future-proof as possible. Technical skills will change over time. Soft-skills, people skills and leadership skills remain valuable across industries and over time.
Remember, personal development is a lifelong journey, and the benefits can be truly transformative. By investing in yourself, you lay the foundation for a more fulfilling and successful life in all its dimensions.
Module Menu to Help you Unlock that Promotion
Deal-maker, Rainmaker, Business Generator, Partner, C-suite
If you are aiming at the top of the career pyramid, technical excellence isn't enough. There are many technically excellent, hard-working grinders at low and middle level positions. You need the people skills and the soft skills to get ahead and stay ahead. Even then it's not guaranteed. Everyone knows it's crowded at the bottom and lonely at the top.
Some people liken our work together to a type of career therapy rather than career coaching. Our work is fun but sometimes intense and we work a lot on self-awareness as part of your personal development as well as developing life-long career and leadership soft-skills.
Finder, Minder, Grinder
This is a very useful code that I first discovered found when working with lawyers, accountants and consultant who want to "make Partner" or get promoted. This truth is relevant for people in professional services and is based on their business model, but a version of it applies and is also useful in other businesses. This is my rough interpretation of the three roles.
The Finder is the rainmaker - the person who brings in new clients and business. Business Development.
The Minder is person who keeps the clients. Key account management.
The Grinder does the grind - the work.
To become a Partner, or move up the pyramid, in a professional services firm, you have to be really good at two of these. Ideally Finder or Minder. Unless your technical Grinder skills is 25% better than anyone else and this is tangible and visible and relevant to clients. Most clients won't even notice a 5% better work output and ask for whoever did that work. The Grinder is often invisible or has little client contact.
Finders are at the top of the pyramid, Grinders are at the bottom. Almost everyone starts at the bottom of the pyramid. Top of the pyramid is big bucks, bottom of the pyramid is entry level money. Top of the pyramid is hard to replace, churn is expected and wanted at the bottom of the pyramid - it is part of the internal vetting and filtering out process. All three types are needed to make the business model work.
Finders
Finders are the rainmakers, the key people who find and bring in the business. No rain = no business.
They usually have shares or equity. Their job is sales, but Partner sounds better. They are hunter-gatherers. They don't cook the food - they bring it in the house.
They are at the top of the pyramid and they focus on finding new clients and business. Their job is pipeline building.
Their KPIs are concrete numbers - meet them or your future is shaky. When they do actual work for a client, it is usually high ticket strategic or advisory work.
Your business case to become Partner must show a track record of having brought in the business.
If you keep bringing in more business than you take out - your position is secure. For as long as you keep doing that.
Minders
Minders are responsible for work delivery and client retention. Minders titles include project management, key account management, senior managers, partners, engagement managers, directors.
They keep the clients happy and on-board and oversee and present and take responsibility for all the work that is being done for the clients.
They should be technically smart and have good people skills to manage demanding clients and exhausted teams who they need to keep busy, focused and on track while delivering projects and programmes on time and in budget.
They are the project managers managing down and the customer care manager managing out. Mid-night dramas and just-in-time deadlines are standard. They should be great managers, mentors and coaches. Some are.
Grinders
Grinders do the work. The Grind. Typically, smart, young and hard-working, these ambitious "bright young things" do all the grunt work, earn the least and provide the margins for the business model.
They are essential but the easiest to replace as they are often anonymous to the client and seldom seen.
They are also seldom seen at home, as their hours are insane - but their focus is getting to the top of the pyramid so this is part of the price they pay.
They have huge opportunities, mature and learn fast (or burn out) and can quadruple or more their value and their earnings in as many years.
If they become Partner.
When they have the opportunity to get in front of clients, they need to shine.
They are being tested and it's a huge opportunity that isn't offered often.
Relevance of the Finder, Minder, and Grinder model to other Industries.
All business models have versions of this. My own business model means that I do all three. Manufacturing businesses and all types of consulting and sales have the same archetypes to varying extents. The takeaway here is that people skills, soft skills and leadership skills are key to getting to the top of the career pyramid - in any industry.
Avoiding a Potential Career Derailment to winning a Strategic role in a FTSE 100 Company
I helped a client prepare for his dream job where he progressed and learned a lot. At first, he was impressed by the Board but the more he saw, the more disillusioned he became.
Their strategic errors were affecting his operational role, risking his career and jeopardising the future of the company.
We identified and prepared for other career opportunities within his industry. He moved from an operational role in a regional business to a more strategic role in a national one where he was valued, more strategic and able to contribute more.
He loved his new role, his remuneration rocketed and his career took off.
The company he left went into administration 18 months later.
Result.
Career changer
Mr A
Your help was invaluable. You helped me see the bigger picture, and present and manage... and sell upwards. Strategy vs.Tactics! Thank You!
Book Personal Development Training - aka Career Coaching
You are investing in Personal Development that will help you keep you current role, flourish in it and prepare for promotion.
This is an investment in you and your career.
Plus... homework review, advice and counsel in-between sessions.
You have a personal development budget or you may be financing your personal development yourself.
We will review your last annual review, you may ask your direct managers and others on their perspectives on where we should focus.
There is a menu of themes above that you can chose from - everything is tailored for your current situation, skills and knowledge and focused on filling in your gaps or maximising your strengths.