Latest news with #careerGrowth
Forbes
18 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Can I Achieve Career Growth Without Taking A Management Role?
How Can I Achieve Career Growth Without Taking a Management Role? If you're asking this question, you're not alone. Maybe someone offered you a leadership position and you hesitated. Maybe you've been watching managers deal with stress, office politics, or constant meetings and thought, 'That doesn't look like career growth to me.' For some of us, career growth looks like becoming the person everyone turns to when things get hard. It means being known for what you know, not for how many people report to you. That mindset makes sense to many Millennials and Gen Z. According to LinkedIn's 2023 Workplace Learning Report, 78% of Gen Z and Millennial employees say they are motivated to learn to improve their career development. That doesn't mean they're chasing promotions. Many want to grow without climbing a traditional ladder. So, here's the real question: Should you let go of the idea of ever becoming a manager, or is it time to rethink what being a manager could actually mean for you? Why Is Career Growth Less Tied To Management Roles Now? I spent decades in sales watching managers make far less money than the salespeople they supervised. In many industries, the highest earners are not the ones giving direction. They are the ones closing deals, building client relationships, or delivering specialized expertise. So, it makes sense to question whether promotion is really worth it. Maybe you've seen managers spending their days in back-to-back meetings or putting out fires. Maybe you've watched one of them shift from being energized by their work to feeling drained by people problems. That doesn't mean leadership isn't for you. But it might explain why you're hesitant. The truth is, a lot of people turn down management roles because they want to protect the parts of their work that bring them joy. They want to keep learning, solving problems, and building things without getting pulled into performance reviews or constant status updates. What Does Career Growth Look Like Without A Title Change? You don't need a promotion to grow. In many organizations, career growth moves like a snake as it shifts sideways, diagonally, and sometimes loops back to deepen a skill before expanding into something new. Rather than climbing a straight line, you build depth and create value in different ways. If that's your style, you're probably drawn to opportunities like: These roles come with visibility, responsibility, and often more pay even if your title doesn't change. How Does Career Growth Get Stalled By Misconceptions About Management? A lot of people say no to management because of what they think it means. They picture stress, micromanaging, and less time doing the work they love. That might be true in some companies, but it's not a universal rule. Some roles let managers stay hands-on. Some leaders get real training and support. The problem is, we rarely talk about those examples. Companies can change this by: Would Career Growth Feel Different If the Role Looked Different? That's the question to consider. What if management gave you more voice in decisions? What if it meant guiding others, shaping strategy, and still having room to build your own skills? Would it feel different? Leadership doesn't have to mean losing control. Sometimes, it means gaining influence in a way that helps you grow faster. How Can Companies Support Career Growth Without Forcing Management? Some of the best people in any organization are the ones who never manage a team. They lead by example, show up as mentors, and hold it all together when things get messy. Companies that want to keep those people need to stop tying advancement only to headcount. Instead, they should: Does Company Culture Influence Career Growth Options? It absolutely does. If you've only seen managers who are burned out, that's going to shape how you see the role. But that's not a management problem. That's a culture problem. At some companies, leadership comes with resources, flexibility, and the chance to create real change. At others, it's just a title with more responsibility and less joy. Ask yourself this: If you were offered a leadership role at a different company, one with the right culture, would you feel the same hesitation? What If You Want Career Growth But Still Say No To Management? That depends on how you answer these questions: If you answered yes to most of those, leadership might be a fit, especially in the right company. But if you answered no, that doesn't mean you're closing a door. It means you're choosing a path where your expertise leads, not your title. And that's still career growth.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘There is no doubt': CEO makes bold WFH claim, sparking big debate
An Aussie boss has revealed the big problem with working from home after an American CEO claimed remote work would have stopped her from becoming such an success. The working from home debate certainly isn't one that will be settled anytime soon, and American CEO Emma Grede has just stirred the pot all over again. Ms Grede appeared on the podcast Diary of a CEO and claimed that if she'd been WFH in her twenties, she'd never have achieved such success. 'If I had been a work from home person in my twenties I would not be where I am today. There is no doubt,' she said. The 42-year-old is the mastermind behind Khloe Kardashian's denim brand Good American, and she co-founded Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand Skims. Skims has been valued at over $4 billion and Good American has been valued at over $3 billion. It's a big statement, but Australian boss Jessy Marshall, 36, founder of the PR agency Hive HQ, can't help but agree. Ms Marshall said that working from home can hold back people's careers 'depending on the role', and this is something she is hyperaware of. 'If you are taking my role as a publicist as an example, we work with many Australian start-ups and us being together as a team in the office is where we get our energy, our creativity, and how we best execute,' she told 'Our job is entirely about execution. If we were doing this from home, we would have no vibe, no hustle and we wouldn't be achieving the results we are.' The 36-year-old doesn't doubt she'd have succeeded if she had worked from home in her twenties, but she doesn't think it would have been on the same scale. 'Maybe because of my personality, I would have been driven enough to get here anyway, but learning on the job fast-tracked my ability and success,' she said. 'You have to learn and fail and learn again; you simply cannot do that as sufficiently by yourself at home. Seeing examples from good and bad bosses helps build your career and your skills.' Ms Marshall's opinion echoes Ms Grede's who spoke at length on the podcast about the downsides of flexibility. The CEO explained that, since the pandemic, her staff has worked only four days in the office and one day from home. Ms Grede said people talk a lot about flexibility but don't talk about what WFH 'takes away from work' and how Zoom life has impacted businesses. 'I met my husband at work, I made my best strongest relationships in my life. (They are) the most important things to me and they're the foundation of my happiness,' she said. Ms Grede finds it 'interesting now' that there's an aversion to working from the office, saying young people are missing out as a result. 'It is so interesting to me because I'm like an in-person person. I want to be with people, I want to collaborate. I want to do things quickly and the culture of work right now makes that so hard,' she said. Ms Grede believes rise of fully-remote jobs is making it harder for young people to learn from seniors at work, which is something she finds that disappointing. 'All of that is lost,' she said. 'I feel a little bit sad for the way that we're working right now because I don't think we're having that exchange of what happens when you're in a really dynamic environment and you're able to learn from people around you.' The CEO's working from home opinion immediately divided workers, with plenty quick to disagree. 'Maybe not everyone wants to be a CEO. Some people want to work to live not live to work,' one argued. 'I would never work in an office again,' another said. 'Interesting perspective! It's important to evaluate how working from home impacts long-term career growth and success,' someone else said. 'Remember half of us are introverts who prefer to be home. We're just as valuable. I also don't want to spend hours of my precious life commuting,' one said. 'Life is not just work,' someone wrote. 'WFH is overrated,' another declared. Someone else argued that some workers get more done working from home, but another said that when she worked WFH, it was the 'loneliest' she'd ever been. Recruitment expert Roxanne Calder said bosses are 'spot on' if they say working from home is holding back young people's careers. 'When you are starting out in your career you need to be around people to learn,' she told 'If you're not among people then you can't learn as quickly. It is critical in that career stage.' Ms Calder said it is invaluable to be able to turn to your co-worker and ask a question or even observe their habits and learn from them, and this isn't happening over Zoom. The recruitment expert said that, despite the 'pushback' and the clear benefits of working from the office, workers don't want to come back. 'I find a lot of people don't want to come into the office still, despite the pushback that has been evident now for 18 months,' she said. Ms Calder said that workers know that 'learning is better in the office', but they'd rather have flexibility over career growth. 'The advice I'd give to anyone in their twenties or in your thirties is definitely to be in the office; it is important for career building,' she said. 'It is relationships that get you places and people seeing you do things.'
Wall Street Journal
3 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
She Always Felt Like an Outsider. Now It's This CEO's Superpower.
Cynthia Williams grew up playing make-believe in the woods of North Carolina. She was an outsider dreaming of being part of something bigger. She took that mindset with her as she started her career and scaled the ranks of and Microsoft. To fight off impostor syndrome Williams came up with her signature Wonder Woman pose: Standing up with her hands on her hips for two minutes.
CNA
5 days ago
- Business
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Mind Your Money - From Girl Boss to Girl Moss: Micro-retirements in Gen Z workers
CNA938 Rewind 'Micro-Retirements' have become popular with young Gen Z workers, who putting a pause on their careers to pursue personal growth and interests. But what kind of implications does it have on the career trajectory, and how are employers responding? Cheryl Goh speaks with Rohan Sylvester, Talent Strategy Advisor at Indeed on the trend, and how it could impact the future of work.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Stuck In Your Current Role? How To Grow Your Career Without A Promotion
Stuck In Your Current Role? How To Grow Your Career Without A Promotion How does a high performer continue to grow in their career when the company values them in the role they are currently in instead of training for a promotion? – Project Manager, Creative Agency Sometimes you can be too good to promote. You're too valuable in the role you do, and it's better for the company to keep you there. Or your manager doesn't want the hassle of having to replace you. Or your company is relatively flat, and there aren't bigger jobs to give you. Or maybe this project manager isn't as high performing as they think they are. Or their manager has been lobbying to promote them, but isn't influential enough to advance you. Or the company isn't doing well enough financially to afford your promotion. As you can see, there are multiple reasons why a promotion doesn't get through, so confirm why you are hearing No. Check out the company financials and recent promotion and hiring history to see if they're spending money on people, and if so, what roles. Have a candid conversation with your manager about your promotion worthiness specifically, not just how you're doing. Your performance reviews are about how you're doing in your current job, not necessarily your career potential. Take a long, hard look at the support you have from your manager, your skip-level manager (manager's manager) and other senior leaders – do you have the right people advocating for you. One popular reason for wanting a promotion is to grow your responsibilities and opportunities. However, you can DIY your own leadership development. Use previous performance reviews for ideas on what skills you need to learn, what qualities you need to develop and what experience you need. Check out your company's tuition reimbursement benefits and what classes you can take to fill gaps. Work with your manager on restructuring your role for stretch assignments. Look for opportunities to add emerging trends, such as AI, to your day-to-day. Another reason for wanting a promotion is the chance to manage people or budget. You can grow your career without being a manager. Manage a part of a project, if not the whole thing. Ask your manager if you can take something off their to do list – they'll be grateful, and you'll get exposure to part of their world. Volunteer for something that gives you hands-on management experience. For example, join a nonprofit board, lead a committee in your professional association or offer to organize an event or fundraiser in your community. Making more money is a top reason for wanting a promotion, but moving up isn't the only way to increase your income. Grow a side business – it will flex different skills than your day job and bring in extra money. Review your investments to see how you can improve returns on the money you save – e.g., consider rental real estate, look for higher yielding bank accounts. A small mindset shift from asking for a promotion to negotiating your promotion can remind you that this is a back-and-forth dialogue, not a one-time request. Prepare to negotiate by confirming what you want (e.g., title, raise, profit-sharing, which responsibilities, what resources), preemptively thinking about what your manager, their manager and other decision-makers might argue, and creatively thinking about a win-win for both sides. Schedule a separate meeting dedicated to your promotion discussion. Ask again, even if you initially hear No, and prepare to overcome objections.
