Ready to take the next step in your leadership career

One of the characteristics that differentiates good business leaders from great business leaders is the ability to consider the future and prepare their teams and companies for a number of different possibilities that may play out.  With uncertainty being as high right now as it has at any point in this current generation, it is particularly important.  Ironically, however, one of the areas we see that many great business leaders forget to prepare for is their own future.  And when the time comes to go for that next role, they find that they miss out to other people who were more prepared.

Optimum’s Managing Director Brad McMahon was recently interviewed as part of our re-launch of Fllair – our leadership career support platform.  When asked about the common mistakes he has seen over his 25+ years of leadership recruitment experience, it was about lack of early preparation.  In other words, it is what you do in the six months prior to going for your next job that really matters, where most people only start preparing over the course of a few weeks.

You can catch the full interview by becoming a member of Fllair at www.fllair.com

Why does preparation matter?

If you consider the people who are likely to be doing the hiring for a senior leadership role, it is likely that they are also senior leaders or members of the board.  They will expect certain skills and characteristics, and the ability to communicate in terms of outcomes as well as a clear understanding of planning.  These are constantly being evaluated in the same way the plumber’s sink is often the one that needs attention, it’s the senior leaders’ career plan that often needs the attention. 

“Many times I have seen people who are really good at their job miss out on other jobs because they couldn’t demonstrate their skills in an interview situation” was one of the gems from Brad’s interview.

What can you do to prepare for your next career move?

This involves a number of different areas at the same time, and goes beyond simply updating your LinkedIn profile and creating a resume (although these are important).  Here are the important focus areas we cover as part of our Leadership Career Accelerator Program:

  • REVIEW: Conduct a thorough review of your resume, social media profile and achievements portfolio through the lens of a potential employer.
  • DISCOVER: Complete a psychometric assessment and discuss with a trained consultant to proactively identify strengths, leadership style and possible blind spots.
  • DEVELOP: Create specific goals to improve your profile, build a portfolio of achievements and put anything in place that will impress future employers.
  • SUPPORT: Working 1:1 with a career expert that includes a meeting rhythm over the course of several months significantly increases the chances of achieving these goals.

If you are someone who is already thinking about moving from where you are, to where you want to be next, be sure to check out our Leadership Career Accelerator program at www.fllair.com.

JASON BUCHANAN
General Manager – Insights & Innovation

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